


Impossible

by Anloquen



Series: Impossible+MirrorImage [1]
Category: ASIMOV Isaac - Works, Robot Series - Isaac Asimov
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, M/M, Male Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-18
Updated: 2015-09-18
Packaged: 2018-04-21 10:03:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 39,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4824683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anloquen/pseuds/Anloquen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This piece retells the story of Robots of the Dawn, exploring Elijah's relationship with Daneel, Daneel's emotionality and humanity; free will and freedom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Impossible

**Author's Note:**

> It's a work I posted on AO3 some time ago and then removed it. The division into chapters is preserved in the text. 
> 
> I removed a chapter with explicit content and posted it as a part of series - it doesn't really contribute to plot and removing it perhaps makes the work less disstressing to people who do not wish to read this kind of PWP. 
> 
> Visual prompt/book cover: http://postimg.org/image/ow6qatcjd/

  **Chapter 1**

 

 

  
Elijah struggled to keep his panic checked, but every second of uncertainty was making him physically sick. His fingers were ice-cold and trembled, his head ached, his carotic arteries and temples throbbed and his strained heart raced. It was not caused by the blurred images of open space, fields, sky, horizon, clouds and sun that swept outside windows as the ground car was rocketing through Gladia Dellamare's estate to reach Jothan's Leebig mansion. Baley hardly noticed the windows weren't polarized. The threat of nothingness around him didn't matter. What terrified him was the thought that because of his short-shortsightedness, presumption and carelessness Daneel was left one-to-one with Leebig's corpse; the corpse of a man whose death the robot indirectly caused.

 

The detective exhaled jerkily and run his palms down his face. Coldness of his own flesh made him shudder. His thoughts swarmed. On the one hand he tried to reasonably predict what he might find in the mansion, on the other his subconsciousness that craved consolation kept coming up with arguments for Daneel's endurance; some of which were reasonable and some of which were ridiculous.

  
Though still breathing heavily he felt a bit comforted when he remembered his first day with his positronic partner; the day when Daneel prevented a violent riot by pointing a blaster at the mob and threatening to kill dozens of people in words that suited a terrorist rather than a policeman. How strong, almost invincible he seemed then. Elijah remembered he resented this superhumane, beautiful, adamant being from that very moment; from the moment it succeeded at something the Earthman would never have guts to try. His hatred gradually gave way to surprise, contempt and finally to tenderness as Elijah was learning how fragile Daneel really was with his rigid understanding of justice and his clumsy attempts to reconcile First Law with helping a madcap daredevil Baley was.

  
It pained him to remember his own amusement when he was told that it required intricate mastery bordering magic to order a robot to spank an unruly child and spare the positronic brain. Well, not exactly spare. Render it damaged, but repairable. Upon hearing a woman praise the only specialist who was able to do that as if he was a thaumaturge Elijah couldn't help snickering. He immediately imagined that Daneel would have no problem with this particular task, given the fact that a few days earlier the robot knocked Baley unconscious to prevent him from suffering a fit of agoraphobia. Now he was not altogether sure if Daneel would take hurting a human being so lightly. Especially doing the ultimate harm: pushing a man to suicide.

  
After all this was exactly what happened. Baley had planned to take advantage of Leebig's psychotic loathing of direct contact with other humans, a phobia that was pathological even for a Solarian. Knowing that the sole idea of seeing somebody in flesh was the ultimate torment for the scientist and that everyone on Solaria believed Daneel was a human Elijah sent his partner to Leebig's mansion to force the man into confession. The plan worked. Everybody taking part in the trimensional videoconference witnessed Jothan Leebig admit he had killed a man and attempted two more murders. And then...

  
Then Daneel got too close to him. Leebig snapped. He slipped an ampule of poison into his mouth in a motion too quick for Baley to realize what was happening, but surely not too quick for Daneel to react if he understood what was happening at the moment.

  
The robot did not. Elijah told him only to enter Leebig's mansion and slowly approach the man. Perhaps that was what saved the robot's positronic brain from immediate malfunction. After all, Baley saw via trimensional that upon Jothan's suicide Daneel didn't immediately drop dead...

  
_Not dead, merely out of order._.. Fastolfe's supercilious voice resounded in Elijah's head in a phantasm so realistic that the detective snorted angrily to kick off this unwanted, smarting off guest.

To him, Daneel was a person. Certainly not "functional", but "alive". Hopefully still alive...

  
Elijah wondered how long it would take Olivaw to realize that what drove Leebig to suicide was his presence. Daneel understood the nature of phobia. He had witnessed Elijah's fit and symptoms that must have been seriously disturbing. He was the one who came up with the idea that alluring Elijah into open space and making him look at the horizon which resulted in Baley's fainting and falling into a pond was an attempted murder. He knew that all Solarians and Leebig in particular dreaded physical presence of other human beings; that the majority of them would never allow anyone near themselves. He knew that Leebig was famous for being inaccessible even among Solarians; that what was a cultural taboo for most of the planet inhabitants was an excruciating phobia for the scientist. He knew that on Solaria everybody believed him to be an Auroran dignitary, therefore a human. He must have realized that what killed Leebig was the tiny thing he took from his pocket and slipped into his mouth. As the man's hand was reaching down, fumbling in the pocket, rising up again, reaching for the mouth, as his lips were parting, as this thing was still in his mouth but not yet swallowed Daneel had more than enough time to act. He had all the data required to figure out that what he saw was a human coming to harm... and yet he did nothing.

  
How long would it take him to put two and two together? How long would it take him to realize that through his inaction he allowed a human to come to harm, violating the First Law of robotics? Would he feel excused by the fact that Baley's behavior in past days was confusing; that he purposely deceived the robot two times; that he told him close to nothing about his role in Leebig's mansion; that this confusion must have resulted in slowing down Daneel's reaction to a level at which he was unable to act quickly enough? Or would he be crushed by the guilt...

  
_Positronic imbalance resulting_...

  
"Damn you, Fastolfe!" The detective almost said it aloud.

  
Elijah Baley slammed out of the ground car as soon as it stopped in front of Jothan Leebig's mansion, ignoring the fact that he had to run across a stripe of open space.

  
"Take me to the viewing room at once!" He yelled to the first robot he saw. The creature led the way obediently, but slowly. Baley overtook it as soon as he figured out which door he was being led to and run towards it, but stopped just a few feet away, panting heavily, with his hand suspended in the air inches from the panel that controlled the door.

  
What if Daneel really was dead? What if other robots realized he was no human and just... just... tidied up the room, removing a malfunctioning appliance? What if they started to disassemble him on the spot?

  
A cold shiver crawled down his spine. His heart hammered.

  
Baley swallowed loudly and pushed the panel.

  
Olivaw was down on his knees, hunched and immobile, staring blankly at the face of the deceased frozen in a grimace of horror. His own beautiful face was almost perfectly still except for a barely noticeable flicker of his eyelids.

  
"Daneel..." Baley whispered fighting the lump in his throat. The immobile figure budged. The robot turned his head and looked at his partner.

  
"I ordered home robots to leave the c... the... the scene intact in case you want to examine it." He said in a voice much more plain than usually except for the part when he stuttered, unable to voice the word 'corpse'. He uttered words one by one, not arranging them into sentences, but somehow it didn't sound like the mechanical babble of primitive Terrestial robots; more like this peculiar indifferent parlance of someone stricken with hopeless despair.

  
Compelled by a silly impulse Lije run towards his friend and sunk to his knees next to him; he cupped Daneel's face gently and looked him in the eyes.

  
"How are you feeling?" He asked with sincere concern; his palms slid down along Daneel's neck and rested on his shoulders.

  
_Silly question. Robots do not feel. You should use a routine examination algorithm._..

  
Just shut up, will you, Fastolfe?

  
Daneel bowed a bit to look at his own hands. He slowly flexed his fingers, staring at them with a blank expression.

  
"I have not yet recovered after the distress caused by witnessing a human d..." He stammered again. "cease to live and by the thought that I have indirectly, but vastly contributed to his d..."

  
Daneel's eyes went slightly unfocused. To his horror Elijah noticed a brief contortion of his face. Driven by panic he slapped Daneel's cheek. It worked.

  
"Listen to me, man. It was in no way your fault; if anyone is responsible for what happened it is me. I am so sorry."

  
Beautiful blue eyes fixed on Elijah's again. Was it just Baley's imagination or did he see pain in these eyes? No reproach, no anger, no grudge, just sorrow...

  
"Did you know this would happen?" Daneel spoke suspiciously slowly.

  
"No. No, of course not." Baley assured passionately. "I swear it didn't even cross my mind. I would never consciously drive a man to... to this. I would never consciously expose you to so much distress. I would not put your life at stake..."

  
Elijah had no idea if a friendly gesture could have any meaning for a robot, but he stroked his partner's arms reassuringly. To his surprise Daneel placed his own palms on top of Elijah's and pressed them slightly. The strange expression of detached desolation on Daneel's face softened a bit.

  
"It is a pleasure for me to hear that." His voice resembled his usual serene tone. "The suspicion that you purposely maneuvered me into this situation was causing great distress to me. Now that it is dispelled I still suffer disturbances, but they are less severe."

  
Elijah's hands that were gingerly caressing Daneel's arms froze. Underneath his fright and guilt he felt an obscure thrill; a little swarm of ice-cold butterflies swirling diffidently in his stomach. Was it possible that what devastated Daneel was not witnessing a suicide he could have prevented but the sense of being betrayed by his friend? Was it possible that Baley's affection was in a way reciprocated?

  
Instead of getting carried away he asked:

  
"Do you think you will be able to overcome these disturbances on your own with time?"

  
"If I may make a request..."

  
It was unusual for a robot not to answer a direct question from a human, but Elijah concluded that little could surprise him that very day.

  
"Yes, you may." He said softly.

  
"Your presence makes my thoughts flow more easily and brings about a mental state that you may like to call alleviation. I am convinced that it would be easier for me to restore full functionality if you stayed with me for some time."

  
Baley tilted his head. Outside these walls there was a report to write, a bunch of people to talk to, Gladia to bid farewell and finally a spaceship that would take him back to Earth. In front of him was his friend, robot Daneel Olivaw, in his own way begging for help.

  
"Of course I will stay with you if you want it."

  
The Earthman smiled and looked into Daneel's face. Perfect, smooth lips of the robot didn't even flinch, but Elijah would have sworn that somehow - with his eyes, with his face, with his whole being - Daneel smiled.

 

 

### Chapter 2

 

 

 

 

"Are you feeling unwell, Dr. Fastolfe?" Daneel asked in his usual tranquil manner. The scientist had stopped walking and stared blankly at the horizon. A heavy sigh escaped his mouth. The robot followed Fastolfe's gaze, but could see nothing but endless wavy ocean of emerald hills flooded by copper-gold light of setting sun and a few fluffy clouds, glowing amaranthine on the underside and cinereous on the top. Nothing that could elicit any kind of emotional reaction. 

  
It took Fastolfe a while to shake his thought off and look at his companion.

  
"No, not at all." He answered. "I was just pondering."

  
"Is there anything you would like me to do for you?" In spite of the scientist's answer Daneel could sense his emotional state oscillated between concern and sadness. He offered his help politely, but firmly.

  
"Well, I think that a conversation could divert my attention." Fastolfe scratched his head absently. "I am sure you have a fresh portion of questions concerning humans. It is a good moment for you to ask them."

  
"In fact I have one question concerning a matter that has been impeding my learning process for some time." The robot began and waited respectfully for Dr. Fastolfe to look at him and rise his eyebrows. Daneel's experience told him that this particular facial expression assured Fastolfe was really listening.

  
"I have noticed that humans use a few words to express an intention to perform a certain action." He continued. "I have an impression that said words are not interchangeable; I am unable, however, to understand the distinction. In particular two of these words are used frequently and I have encountered information that their semantic fields do not coincide. These words are 'want' and 'should'."

  
The scientist tilted his head and squinted, looking at Daneel pensively without a single word. The robot waited patiently.

  
"Sarton was truly an artist..." The man murmured finally, shaking his head in disbelief.

  
"If I may, Dr. Fastolfe, what does my maker's skill have to do with my question?"

  
"Well, Daneel... " The man continued his slow-paced walk. The robot followed him obediently. "Your questions are always very incisive. I was thinking of a simplest answer for your question and I figured I cannot explain this matter to you without elaborating on the very core of humanity, which is difficult to grasp even for me. Nonetheless I will try."

  
They both walked for a while under the cerulean sky tinted orange and salmon pink where the sun had just set. The scientist spoke again after a few minutes.

  
"The distinction between these two words arises from a discrepancy you will most probably never experience. You see, you were designed to be content with any action that you are required to perform; either by the Three Laws or by your own programming. In other words if you are ordered to do something or you figure on your own that a particular action will be beneficial to a human or will indirectly lead to accomplishing your task, after performing this action you will experience a positronic flow in your brain that you will find desirable."

  
Fastolfe stopped speaking for a moment. Daneel sensed his hesitation, so he said:

  
"I must admit that sometimes said sensation is quite intense."

  
"That's right." The man crossed his hands behind his back and hunched a little. "Since your first boot you have experienced this dependence of cause and effect many times. You do your duty - you experience a pleasant positronic state. Of course from the very beginning you were equipped with a strong motivation to do whatever you are required to do, but you were also equipped with the ability to learn. This gratification in the form of desired positronic flow creates positive feedback and enhances your motivation. There are no discrepancies. You are always compelled to do, let's say, what is right and you always experience a desired sensation afterwards."

  
"Humans, however, are caught between two forces driving them that often conflict. One of them is reason. The ability to consciously predict possible consequences of their actions and tailor their behavior in order to obtain a desired effect. In a well-developed, mature mind this desired effect is the cumulative well-being of all humans. The second force are emotions. These mental and physiological states have a tremendous influence on human's motivation. It is an atavism, an evolutionary birthmark we inherited from animals that were not equipped with reason. Emotions was all that drove them. They were compelled to eat, mate and socialize and to avoid pain or hunger. Without any engagement of conscious mind or reason they were motivated to do what was beneficial for them and avoid what was deleterious."

  
The man stopped speaking again and looked at his companion askance.

  
"If I may, Dr. Fastolfe. You have just said that reason makes humans do what is beneficial for them as well. Why then do emotions and reason conflict?"

  
"It is a matter of changing environment. Emotions are based on stimulus-response patterns embedded in our brains that were sculpted by millenia of evolution. Emotions are in a way blind to changes that take place every generation. They do not readjust. How can I put it..."

  
Fastolfe scratched his head again and looked up, as if he searched for inspiration in the faint pattern of stars that started to appear on the darkening sky.

  
"Let's go back to ancient Earth history..." He began. "There was a time when people were engaged in wars and hunted. It might seem barbaric to you now, but they did physically harm one another and did the same to animals, which, of course, defended themselves and hurt humans. Since only males performed these actions, they often died and their numbers were significantly lower than the number of females. That's why it was beneficial that a male mated with more than one female. Later the situation changed drastically and the number of males and females become more or less even. It was thus beneficial for one male to mate with one female. Yet the desire to mate with numerous females remained in males, even though it caused nothing but trouble to the society and to the individuals in question."

  
Daneel nodded and closed his eyes for a moment. Somehow he found it easier to think when he could see nothing. He knew Fastolfe's estate by heart and there was no risk for him to trip up or step on anything.

  
"If I follow, these two words address these two driving forces? One describes a future action motivated by reason and the other - by emotions?"

  
The scientist nodded.

 

"Exactly, Daneel. 'Should' and 'Want', respectively. "

  
"I presume people will want to bury the fact that they are so imperfect rather than emphasize it."

  
Fastolfe smiled at Daneel's correct usage of a new word he learned. Human vainglory and attempts to deny their connection with animals were certainly not reasonable.

  
"You see, Daneel, it would be impractical. People need to communicate precisely and their motivation is what they often talk about, especially on Earth. A typical Earthman scarcely decides on his own. He would talk to his friends, ask for advice. These expressions are required. An Earthman would often say 'I want this and this, but I should this and this'. It's the easiest way for his associates to understand his situation and come up with applicable, valuable advice."

  
"I see. Thank you, Dr. Fastolfe."

  
They continued their walk in silence for a while. Finally Daneel looked at his master expectantly and began:

"May I have another question?"

  
The man just nodded.

  
"How does a human know that he wants something?"

  
Fastolfe stopped abruptly and gave Daneel a suspicious glance. He was obviously puzzled.

  
"I don't think it is either possible or necessary to explain this to you." He finally drawled out, still squinting and frowning.

  
"Still, I feel that this knowledge would be beneficial for me." Daneel leant in slightly and for a moment Fastolfe had this horrifying impression that the robot was threatening him. Of course he could not. Nonetheless he was insisting. Insisting!

  
"In what way?" The man asked pressingly. "You were not programmed to be impractical and this is certainly not practical."

  
"I am strongly convinced that upon learning what it feels like to want I will experience this pleasant positronic state."

  
Fastolfe's eyes popped fully open. His mouth moved involuntarily, silently working a phrase Daneel couldn't hear, but could read from the movement of Fastolfe's lips.

  
"HE WANTS!"

  
The man shook his head in disbelief, covering his mouth with his right palm. When he spoke aloud again, his somewhat reddened face assumed a grave expression.

  
"Daneel." He placed his hands on Olivaw's shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. "Have you ever experienced a similar sensation before? This conviction that an action would bring about this desirable state even though said action was dictated neither by the Laws nor by your own programming?"

  
Daneel closed his eyes for a moment. He could not hesitate long. Even though Fastolfe's utterance was not a direct order, it was spoken in a way that urged the robot to answer.

  
"Yes." He said finally.

  
"What is this action that you believe would result in this desired state of your brain?"

  
"Dr. Fastolfe..." Daneel began. The expression of his symmetrical, serene face did not change, but deep in his eyes Fastolfe spotted a spark of defiance. "For many months I have been wanting to see my partner, Elijah Baley."

 

### Chapter 3

 

 

 

Of course it finally hunted him down. Produced despite his protests and aired to his torment, this cheap, gloppy hyperwave drama for desperate housewives somehow managed to get insanely popular. Perhaps it was because it was the ONLY drama that included an Earthman protagonist acting among Spacers that could ever be based on a true story?  
The way the production emphasized Baley's extraordinariness didn't make him proud. He felt disgusted. This drama was a load of rubbish.

  
There was yet another thing that disturbed Elijah - the cast. While majority of actors resembled original characters more or less, the actor that portrayed Elijah did not look like the detective at all. How could he? Who would find it plausible that a beautiful, smart, sophisticated Spacer woman fell in love with a clumsy, awkward, grumpy Earthman with his boxy silhouette, craggy face and sad eyes? Who would find it plausible that she chose said Earthman over a good-looking, dignified, insanely intelligent Spacer she believed Daneel was?

  
Sometimes he wondered what really happened there on Solaria. Was Gladia really fond of him or did she consider him a kind of a freak, a domesticated savage that was safe to talk to and touch (pet?) because he barely understood anything? After all, all Spacers considered Earthmen inferior - and had the audacity to mention it in his presence. That was the official definition of an Earthman: an inferior, uncivilized, infectious being. That was the definition Spacers fed to their children and to their robots...  
Among them - to Daneel.

  
The thought that Baley could in fact be repulsive to his partner throbbed painfully in his mind. With all his annoying habits, his bad temper, silly agoraphobia and unreasonable belief in good luck how could he be anything but repulsive to a Spacer, even if said spacer was equipped with positronic brain and Three Laws that included Earthmen?

  
Of course they chose the most handsome terrestial actor to play Olivaw and still this man faded in comparison to Elijah's memories of his partner. Noone on Earth could be a match for Daneel's regal, manly beauty. Noone had these symmetrical, unbelievably blue eyes with such a bewildering gaze. Noone had his chisseled face with such a serene, caring expression. Noone had his broad shoulders, slender waist and hips, sculpted chest... And of course noone could portray his unwavering loyalty and unselfish attention; the way he was there for Baley, always forgiving, always ready to support him, offering safety and consolation.

  
Fastolfe would naturally interpose, claiming that a robot could not do otherwise. Somehow Baley always followed this kind of reasoning, regarding robotic loyalty something inferior: an attitude forced by the laws carved into their brains. A robot not equipped with Three Laws could not exist and if, by any chance, it was ever created it would be immediately decommissioned.

  
Executed, in other words.

  
Suddenly a wild thought occured to Baley. Most of the people he knew would find it blasphemous. He found it refreshing.  
Were people not equipped with their own laws? You shall not murder. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

  
He knew that for some it was the fear of punishment that kept them from doing so, but Elijah to his own surprise realized that he personally knew many people who were simply unable to kill, steal or harm a human being by false accusation. Just like robots.

  
Of course humans malfunctioned often, but those who malfunctioned were decommissioned. Was finding those malfunctioning humans not his job?

  
On Solaria, for instance, there was nearly no crime because its inhabitants were carefully bred, not born from random unions like there on Earth. Inability to commit crime was one of the traits a good Solarian had to possess. It was natural for them. They all (almost all) functioned properly.

  
On Earth, where ages of struggle resulted in a wild, crooked, degenerate society such inability was highly valued. It was called a virtue.

  
If Baley ever met a man who was unable to harm another human, always willing to help, ready to give up his life in order to save another human would he not admire him? Would he not regard him a hero?

  
The detective caught himself missing Daneel really badly. He regreted not having given him a big, warm, friendly hug when they met and when bid each other farewell last time. During his job on Solaria Elijah still felt embarassed by the thought that he actually wanted to touch a robot, to seek these little gestures of fondness. He promissed himself that if the fate ever allowed him to meed Daneel again, he would not let this prejudice suppress him. He would treat Daneel as a dear friend he was for Elijah.

  
Or was he something more?

 

 

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

  
Gladia sipped her lychee juice with delight, staring absently at Jander and Daneel, who were waiting patiently for orders in their niches. Now that she knew Daneel was a robot she wondered how come he had been fooled there on Solaria. He was too tranquil even for a Spacer. His physique was too perfect.

  
Nonetheless she still couldn't help the impression that Jander was more robotic than Daneel. Was it because she met him already aware of his nature?

  
She shook this thought off. This difference was what allowed her to tell them apart, therefore it couldn't be so.  
Physically they were almost identical; they only differed in minute imperfections since their design was the same. Of course their brains were different. A positronic brain was always unique. But still, there was something strange about them...  
It could have been that Pannell was younger, or rather constructed later. Or maybe it was because he lacked Daneel's experience from Earth, Solaria and from his cooperation with Elijah. With good, old Elijah...

  
Gladia knew close to nothing about robotics and refused to listen if anyone tried to explained anything to her. She was an artist, not a scientist. Nonetheless shreds of information were stuck in her memory. In a world run by robots one could not live his life through without knowing just a little about them. She knew Jander and Daneel could learn. The latter would be altered by the experience of being respected, cared for and treated as equal. Pannell knew nothing but Aurora with its feudal, disdainful attitude towards robots.

  
Gladia sometimes observed them interact when they were not required by their master. They often sat or walked together, talked or viewed bookfilms. She always had an impression that Olivaw treated his twin with a kind of tender attention. He patiently explained matters he already understood and that were still obscure to Jander. He always let him sit first.

She had no notion of familiar relations, because on Solaria where she was born people lived in absolute isolation from one another and here, on Aurora, mentioning or even knowing ones kinship was considered uncivil. But still, there was a word she knew from romance bookfilms. It had this alluring aura of savagery; it originated in a strange, barbaric world and connoted everything Gladia feared and craved. Manhood. Fortitude. Persistence. She searched her mind to recall this word...

  
Brothers. Daneel and Jander were brothers.

  
Gladia said this word aloud a few times. She liked the way this combination of hoarse and soft sounds rolled in her mouth. It was almost like a kiss. It was what a man was to her. Reliable and strong, but caring. She felt that this part of her body that she never wanted to think about, this part destined only for siring and bearing became warm and moist. It throbbed, urging her to go near these strange creatures. Brothers.

  
She stood up cautiously and looked around. She had no idea when Dr. Fastolfe would return: he had had a brilliant idea while they talked and begged her to allow him to go write it down and think it through. Perhaps she had a few minuters...

  
The woman approached Jander first. The robot gave he a quick glance, but soon returned to staring blankly ahead. She bit her lip and slowly placed her palm on Jander's cheek - it was warm, smooth and soft. Pennell's face remained perfectly still and perfectly emotionless. Gladia's fingers gingerly slid down Jander's jawbone and neck, sloted underneath his collar to tip his shoulder and collarbone. Her other hand rested on his chest. She felt Jander's firm body through his shirt; she found his nipple and pinched it slightly. There was no reaction.

  
One of her palms remained clasped around Jander's neck while the other continued its jurney down; down his scuplted abdomen, along his prominent V-line, down his hip, into his trousers... Jander didn't even flinch. He just stood there, unresponsive and indifferent. Warm, soft, human-like, but as still as a sculpture.

  
Gladia let go of him and approached Daneel. As soon as she made a step towards him she noticed the robot dart at her uneasily. When she faced him and touched his cheek Daneel was staring ahead, but not blankly like Jander. She couldn't help the impression that he was consciously trying not to look at her.

  
He budged when her thumb touched the corner of his mouth and again when she played with his ear. His lips narrowed as if he clenched his jaws when she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. The fact that he closed his eyes for a second or so after this kiss didn't escape her attention.

  
Her lithe palms slid down his chest and abdomen; her thumbs rested on his hipbones.

  
"Daneel, place your hand on the back of my head and kiss me on the lips, sliding your tongue into my mouth."

  
This order overcame Daneel's reluctance or whatever it was. He did what he had been told to; his lips were soft and cool, his touch gentle and respectful. If felt good.

  
As soon as he executed the order Daneel straightened up and budged slightly to move away from Gladia. She didn't let him. One of her hands remained clasped on his hips. The other wrapped around his neck. The woman could feel a slightest tremble of his jawbone. She frowned.

  
The sound of foosteps in the corridor let her know her host was coming back. She let go of Daneel and took a step back, but didn't return to the table.

  
"Dr. Fastolfe..." She began. "I was wandering... I am feeling so lonely lately. Wouldn't you agree that one of your robots accompany me in my estate for some time?"

  
The scientist tilted his head and murmured something which sounded like a stifled expression of astonishment.  
"Which one?" He asked uneasily.

  
Gladia smirked and answered, staring straight into Daneel's eyes.

  
"Jander Pannell."

  
She would have sworn Daneel twitched.

 

### Chapter 4

 

 

 

Fastolfe kept searching his mind for possible reasons of his uneasiness. No, not uneasiness. What he felt was closer to panic tinted with guilt.

  
He stopped in the middle of a lawn that marked the border between his estate and Gladia's, sighed and looked up as if he wanted to search the skies for the answer. What was he supposed to do? Why did he feel he was supposed to do anything?

  
After all, nothing had really happened. A robot malfunctioned. It was an expensive, elaborate robot, but still it was just a machine. His own property. He had just lost the money Pannell was worth, but it was just a minute part of his wealth. A lightning could as lief hit his favorite airfoil and he would just shrug. Life if stochastic. These things happen.

  
Of course there could be some political resonance. Everything had political implications on Aurora, where people had little else to do with their dozens of decades of life. One usually got bored with petty affairs by the age of sixty. Remaining hundreds of years were usually filled with politics. It was nothing new to Fastolfe; it was merely annoying, certainly not frightening.

  
But still, he was anxious.

  
Was it because of Gladia? She did seem stricken with Jander's mental freeze-out. ("He's dead!" she kept whimpering), but with much effort and a little bit of trickery Han managed to allay her. The scientist briefly explained why it couldn't have been her fault. The woman hardly understood how a positronic brain functioned, but Fastolfe made sure she comprehended he didn't blame her.

  
The man shook his head and continued his walk. At first he took long strides, but he kept gradually slowing down, minced, plodded... It was as if the grass beneath his feet suddenly became sticky. An invisible force was holding him back.

  
Why were his legs getting softer and his stomach more cramped as he was approaching his own mansion? The problem he was facing remained in Gladia's palace. Whatever could trouble him was there, behind his back. His own home meant safety and peace... but it seemed gloomy and darkened.

  
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Giskard's boxy silhouette. The robot approached him and stopped at a respectful distance.

  
"Your wife asked me to tell you she is waiting with the dinner, sir." He said calmly.

Dr. Fastolfe raised his hand in a quieting gesture.

  
"I'm coming. I have one issue to think through. Tell her I will join her in a few minutes."

  
"You seem distressed, sir. Is there anything I can do for you?" Giskard asked, swaying slightly as if he was kicking his heels. The gleam of his metallic surface was mesmerizing.

  
"No. Just go to my wife."

  
The robot nodded, but didn't leave. He kept looking at his owner and for a briefest moment Fastolfe had an impression that the creature understood his feelings, penetrated his mind.

  
_Tell Daneel..._

  
This simple idea popped out of nowhere, but suddenly it all fell into place. His anxiety, guilt and pain. It was what was troubling him. He had to tell Daneel about Jander.

  
No. He didn't.

  
This sudden discrepancy of his own thoughts made him stop abruptly and rub his face. He had no obligations towards robots. Would he feel obliged to tell an airfoil that another airfoil was struck by a lightning?

  
But Jander was much more. He was Daneel's twin, his only companion, the only creature of his kind in the whole Universe.

  
Even if it was so, everyone and every robot would soon hear about Jander's malfunction anyhow. Incidents like this one never remain a secret for long.

  
Shouldn't his creator be the one to pass the message on to him? Wouldn't it be respectful?

  
No. It would be ridiculous.

  
Dr. Fastolfe shook his head and to his surprise noticed that Giskard was still standing near him, staring at him with this piercing, emotionless gaze of his red glowing eyes. This look made the man flinch.

  
The robot slowly turned around and left. The man followed him hesitantly. His thoughts swarmed; he felt dizzy and puzzled.

  
Wife. Dinner. Yes, she was waiting, but there was something else he had to do.

  
As soon as he entered his mansion he ordered the first robot he saw to summon Daneel.

  
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

  
Daneel approached the door to Elijah's cabin with strange trepidation. He was experiencing something he had never experienced before. His thoughts raced with speed far beyond pleasant excitation; it was like he had two levels of consciousness, one of which was striving to keep up with the other. His vision was sharp; he saw finest details incisively, but in dimmed colors. His equilibrium sensors were obviously not adjusted properly; he knew the swaying of the floor he sensed must have been illusory. The gravity pull on the ship was a result of acceleration and the ship's own generators; anyhow, the frame of reference was embedded within the ship. It could move in circles or squiggles and nobody would feel any swaying.

  
The robot closed his eyes. He struggled to bring at least some of his thoughts to standstill in order to somehow disentangle the muddle they formed. To his own surprise he realized that if it were not for Dr. Fastolfe's strict order to protect Baley he would not be able to come in.

  
He searched definitions of mental states known to him for anything that could be similar to what he was experiencing. Of course he knew scientific description of physiological reactions accompanying these mental states in humans. What about him? He had no veins to contract, he had no glands to produce sweat, he had no heartbeat to speed up. His skin was always smooth and of the same color, not changing from pale to livid and never forming these peculiar little nodules called goosebumps. Still, he was convinced something strange was happening to him.

  
Thrill. Anticipation of a pleasant event.

  
Fear. Anticipation of an unpleasant event.

  
Physiological reactions made these two states difficult to distinguish for humans. Daneel was nothing but mind. There was nothing prevent him from figuring out if he was expecting something pleasant or something unpleasant.  
Nevertheless he couldn't.

  
Was it because Baley's presence on Aurora was a result of Jander's misfortune? He had gone through and through it many times before - alone and with Giskard. They both agreed that it would be illogical to refuse to anticipate Elijah's arrival with a positive attitude just because it was a result of an unfortunate event. There was something else; something that Daneel kept secret. The news of Jander's mental freeze-out put an end to an unpleasant, unsettling sensation Daneel had been experiencing ever since Gladia took the other robot to her mansion; a sensation that had been occupying much of his computing power. Of course it elicited another unpleasant sensation - a weight pressed Daneel's arms down; all colors dimmed and faded - but it was far less bothering. If he was a human he would probably state he welcome the news of Jander's end with relief.

  
Daneel decided to try the simplest method. He had no imagination, but as his memories accumulated he was learning to edit them into sequences of events that never happened and view like his true memories. He focused on the possibilities for the nearest future.

  
_He enters the cabin. Elijah recognizes him, approaches him. Daneel sees his smile. Elijah budges, just like the last time... Something stops him. There comes this frigid, formal handshake. "R.Daneel, it is a pleasure to see you again."_

  
_R._

  
Daneel's thoughts froze for a briefest moment. This sudden glitch was almost painful. His fingers twitched. That was it. That was what he feared. It was not real danger...

  
Danger. Fastolfe's order kicked in like a jolt through Daneel's brain. He opened his eyes and pressed the panel controling the cabin door. As soon as he saw Elijah safe and well, the order ebbed. Daneel's own fear took over again. The robot stood in the doorway, helpless and inert.

  
And there it was. An instant of hesitation. A spark of recognition. A grin. A start. An exclamation of joy. Arms opening and wrapping around Daneel. Elijah's cheek next to his, Elijah's chest pressed against his, Elijah's fingers clamped tightly on the back of his neck, Elijah's breath tickling his ear, Elijah in his arms. Suddenly everything was all right.

 

### Chapter 5

 

 

 

 

"Ouch! You zapped me!"

  
Elijah retracted his hand reflexively. Of course some charge accumulated on Daneel's skin. It was made of a synthetic polymer after all.

  
The man immediately realized his mistake when he saw slight tremor of Daneel's fingers.

  
"It's all right. I'm not hurt." He assured hastily. "It was just a... never-mind."

  
The robot relaxed, but kept looking at Elijah piercingly.

  
"What does it mean to zap?"

  
Elijah sighed and rolled his eyes. He knew there would be trouble. Trouble was inevitable when he was under Daneel's care.

  
"To electrocute... slightly..." Baley explained. His voice was getting quieter every syllable. 'Here it comes' He thought resignedly.

  
"Are you sure you are not hurt? My memory contains information that electrocuting causes pain."

  
"It was just static electricity. Jehoshaphat, Daneel, take it easy. There are many levels of physical pain. It was nothing serious. Believe me." Baley looked into his partner's eyes earnestly, hoping that the robot was able to perceive this kind of non-verbal messages.

  
He tapped the top of Olivaw's palm to reassure him. Suddenly a wild idea popped into his head.

  
"Are you able to feel physical pain, Daneel?"

  
"I don't know."

  
Elijah tilted his head and frowned.

  
"How come you don't know? Do you know what pain is?"

  
"I know the definition. It's a strongly unpleasant sensation that accompanies being damaged. Since I am a valuable robot the Third Law is strengthened so I assume that being damaged or destroyed would elicit a negative reaction in my brain. Nonetheless I have never found myself in such a situation."

"Are you telling me you have never ever..." Elijah wanted to say 'banged your head against a door jamb or stepped on a shred of glass' but realized how ridiculous it would sound. He was talking to a robot. In terms of intuition Olivaw was hopelessly dull. In terms of intelligence he could compete with most humans. Physically there was no match for him. His agility certainly wouldn't let him bang his head against a door jamb.

  
Baley intended to get back to viewing bookfilms, but this idea kept niggling at the back of his mind. Finally he could take it no longer; his curiosity took over.

  
"Would you mind if I pinched you?"

  
"No, partner Elijah." Daneel answered calmly and accommodatingly straightened his hand. Elijah nipped the top of robot's palm with all his strength.

  
"If I may, partner Elijah, how was that gesture supposed to be even close to damaging me?"

  
"It would hurt a human..." The man mumbled with exasperation, trying not to let his embarrassment show. He bit his lip. Another idea made his face brighten up with an arch grin.

  
"What if I cut your skin?"

  
"I strongly oppose, partner Elijah. As I have said I am expensive. Moreover, my skin is not self-sealing as yours. I would require repair. The news would certainly reach Dr. Fastolfe. How would I account for that?"

  
"I could talk to him." Baley kept pressing.

  
"Nonetheless I cannot let you do that. Of course I would let you damage or even destroy me if it was justified by circumstances, but curiosity is not a valid reason to do so. I would also like to point out that I don't like this idea. I believed you would never be willing to hurt me."

  
These words were like ice-cold shower for Elijah. Immediately he felt vivid blush burning his cheeks.

  
The robot stood up. Expression of his beautiful, serene face did not change, but he remained a bit hunched instead of straightening up proudly like he usually did.

  
"If you have nothing against it, I will guard the corridor now and ask friend Giskard to accompany you."

  
Elijah curled up and hid his face in his palms. There was so much he wanted to say, but his throat remained cramped. Whatever form of apology he came up with, something kept stopping him. His mouth opened only to utter sharp, husky:

  
"All right. Go."

  
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''  
It was dark. Baley's eyes were fully open, but he saw nothing. He heard nothing but his own panting. There was Nothing all around. Metal walls, another cabin perhaps (or not even that), the hull, thermal insulation were all that separated him from the Oblivion. Nothing. Not just Open with its proper temperature, proper pressure, gravitation, oxygen and humidity. Not this Open he feared because of his unreasonable phobia. There was real void. Ice-cold, dark, airless vastness of Nothing. Vacuum. Absolute zero. Oblivion. Death. 

Elijah felt cold as if he was already in space. He knew that in case of any accident he would freeze. But first he would boil. His eyeballs would pop.

  
He sat up with a stifled cry, shivering and sweating.

  
Daneel turned the light on with a gesture, turned around and approached Baley's cot, but stopped a few feet away.  
"Is everything all right, partner Elijah?"

  
Baley run his palms up his forehead and took a few deep breaths. It didn't help. He felt like a rabbit observing a fox slowly digging into his burrow.

  
"Yes. I am all right..." He managed to whisper. The robot slowly walked away to stand by the cabin door.

  
The man felt a pang of pain in his chest. Daneel's presence was all he wanted. The walls, the hull, the insulation meant little, but if these strong arms were to separate him from the Nothing he knew he would feel safe. And yet he couldn't bring himself to ask. The same bitter lump that prevented him from apologizing throbbed in his throat. Humiliation. Ridiculousness. Weakness. How could he ask a robot to lull him to sleep?

  
He strove to say something. Anything. Not ask for help, simply break the unbearable silence. He could inquire about the time. He could ask how far from Aurora they were. Anything.

  
The sound that finally formed in his dried mouth was hoarse, barely recognizable.

  
"Daneel..."

  
Olivaw approached him again, knelt by his cot and placed his hand on Elijah's forehead.

  
"You have a slight fever, partner Elijah." He said.

  
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''  
Elijah's voice was altered. Even though Olivaw was perfectly sure his partner was safe, the way his exclamation sounded troubled the robot. All right then. He was not physically hurt in any way. He was not in the open space. He was awake, so he couldn't be having a nightmare. He could be sick.

  
Daneel approached his partner and touched his forehead, concentrated on the reading of his thermal sensors. The temperature of Baley's skin was slightly elevated. It was the first thing he noticed.

  
"You have a slight fever, partner Elijah." He said.

  
There was something else; he realized it only when he got back to normal sensory focus setting. A slight change in Elijah's expression. Daneel moved his attention carefully to cerebroanalytical circuits. He immediately felt how strongly agitated Baley was, but there was a slight vein of solace. Daneel moved his palm to Baley's cheek. Elijah's fear ebbed slightly. The robot placed his other palm on Baley's arm, squeezed and rubbed it gently. The man felt relief.

  
Fascinated by this new way of helping his partner Daneel focused on reading his emotions and fixed his eyes on Elijah's, knowing how much can be read from human's iris. He kept moving his hands on Baley's skin; he placed them on his shoulders, gingerly running his thumbs along Baley's collarbones, then he moved them up to caress his neck and jawbone. Elijah's face relaxed; he smiled. To his surprise Daneel realized that looking into Elijah's eyes was pleasant to him. Not only because they expressed contentment. It was simply a pleasant sight.

  
Daneel's hands slowly moved down the man's chest. His fingers slid along Baley's ribs. The robot felt Elijah's chest heave in slow, deep, healthy breath. He moved his palms to Baley's abdomen.

  
A sudden change in Baley's mental state alarmed him. It lasted just an instant, but the robot sensed craving mixed trepidation. It was this kind of craving he knew too well. It sent a painful jolt through his mind.

  
Olivaw withdrew, moved his palms onto the man's shoulders again. It was the best position, bringing optimal state of Elijah's mind and safe for Daneel. The man slowly fell asleep, cuddling to Daneel's hands.

_Thrill. Anticipation of a pleasant event._

_Fear. Anticipation of an unpleasant event._  

The robot spent the rest of the night trying to figure out what he felt. 

 

### Chapter 6

 

 

 

 

 

 

(See the end of the chapter for [notes](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2906981/chapters/6844907#chapter_7_endnotes).)

### Chapter Text

Dr. Fastolfe almost spat out his tea when this idea hit him. He hastily placed the glass on a tray accommodatingly offered by a robot and rushed to his studio. The magnecube containing the design of Olivaw's brain was already in the reader; sheets of plexifoil containing the scientist's notes were worn-out and covered in layers of scribbles, so he had no problem finding the ones he wanted in a messy pile heaped up on his desk. All he had to do was to press the magnereader in order to display a 3D interactive visualization of mathematical model describing Daneel's brain.

  
An intricate billow of twinkling threads and glomerules flooded the room with lurid blue light. It resembled a bush with unbelievably complex network of delicate branches, roots and climbers bifurcating into infinity, interwoven into a fine net to form a rough sphere; a bush that scintillated, pulsated and shimmered as if it was endowed with its own life. The creator run his fingers along its meshy surface, enthralled with its beauty no less than the first time he saw it finished. The man kept caressing this mesmerizing tangle gingerly as if he was playing a harp. His opus magnum. His creation. His own tree of life.

  
Dr. Fastolfe slowly stepped inside the sphere to take a better look. He instinctively translated this endless network of glowing lines into problems, solutions and behavior. Finally he spotted what he wanted. A minute irregularity. He frowned and touched the place with the tip of a metal pointer. The structure answered by glowing white.

  
"Calculate solutions for Eeberg's coefficient equal one third e and for Eeberg's coefficient equal zero point three three e. Number of iterations equals one thousand." he ordered.

  
The bush flickered and collapsed; after a while it split into two that unfolded rapidly before Fastolfe's eyes: one glowing green and the other purple. The man squinted suspiciously.

  
"Number of iterations ten thousands!"

  
The scientist spotted the difference immediately. The green network resembled the original one. The purple one had a wreath of thick curls on its circumference, but when Fastolfe looked closed he noticed the curls themselves consisted of endlessly bifurcating veins and filaments, intertwined into a form that was seemingly solid, but contained a whole universe of elaborate convolutions. It looked as if besides the original core of programming that described Daneel's most basic drives that was diagrammed by a flickering column in the center of the sphere there was another strong complex of patterns that corresponded to Daneel's urges and... will?

  
A sigh of awe escaped the man's lips.

  
_Chaos: behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to small changes in initial conditions which can yield widely diverging outcomes, rendering long-term prediction impossible. This behavior is characteristic mainly for non-linear differential equations. Chaotic processes can be encountered in biology, sociology and numerical computing._

  
He stood there petrified, staring at his creation.

  
Robots could choose from two pathways of computation, one more rigorous, but slowing down the process and the other rough, but fast. In theory they were required not to switch to this shortcut pathway unless circumstances required immediate reaction.

 

Robots could also learn.

 

Dr. Fastolfe pressed the magnereader; glowing nebula collapsed and disappeared. He placed a sparkling cube in the reader and scrutinized the displayed meshy sphere. Jander's design. It differed from the previous one slightly, but main pathways remained the same, along with this interesting irregularity. He performed the same test and got the same result. One network that remained basically intact and the other with this noticeable wreath; a second core of decision making. 

The man searched his memory for any signs of Jander displaying the same odd behavior pattern, but could find none. Of course there was the possibility that he simply failed to spot them, but what if Olivaw and Pannell really developed in entirely different ways? 

Daneel was forced to take swift decisions many times; working with Elijah put him under immense pressure. This could be the trigger, but how could he maintain a high potential for this decision to last when he was no longer required to act quickly?

What if Daneel noticed that choosing the less rigorous rounding of Eeberg's coefficient that was by definition always fraction of an irrational number gave him more options of behavior to chose from? What if this diversity was in a way gratifying for him? Why would it be so? Wouldn't it rather make him feel insecure? 

This aversion to uncertainty was embossed in every positronic brain. What on Space could have a potential strong enough to balance it or even overcome it? 

Dr. Fastolfe flopped onto a heavy armchair and run his fingers through his hair.

  
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

  
Gladia pensively skimmed Jander's warm skin with the tips of her fingers. He was not more responsive than a mannequin, but still as a sculpture he was a work of art. Her own marvel.

  
She stared at his skin that was just as smooth as a human's skin could be. His creators did not cross the line, did not endow their creation with perfectness that would make it inhumane. The woman pressed Jander's sculpted pectoral slightly. It remained warm and flexible, just as his nipple she pinched a moment later.

  
The woman looked back on all the moments when she possessed him. Always submissive and respectful, Jander was exactly what she needed back then. A dull, light meal for a sick stomach. A soft, boring lullaby for her heart ravaged by Solarian culture. Indeed he cured her, but it was the end of his role. Perhaps she would be happy with him for a few months more, but not longer. She was ready for a challenge; for a spicy, refined dish; for a symphony.

  
The day Baley landed on Aurora she woke up feeling a new life flowing in her veins.

  
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

  
Olivaw soon understood that his presence by Elijah's side in the evening was necessary for his partner sleep well. Seating on the cabin floor by Baley's cot, caressing his shoulders and arms, talking to him until he fell asleep and then listening to his deep, slow breath became the part of the day Daneel always anticipated with attitude that was more than positive.

  
Elijah's calmness brought satisfaction that accompanied a well performed duty, but there was something else. His proximity synchronized processes in Daneel's brain somehow, it made them flow steadily, giving him a sensation of slight tickling in the back of his head and making closing his eyes particularly pleasant. As the man slept, the robot reconsidered his words that often seemed contradictory or unmeaning, but logical analysis sometimes brought unbelievably valuable results. Cascades of questions emerged from these ruminations, sometimes knocking Daneel of this pleasant state of harmony and eliciting inquietude that almost made the robot wake his partner up and ask these questions.

  
_Imprisonment_.

  
It was one of the questions that kept invading Daneels consciousness; a looped process that occupied almost none computational power, but kept reruning causing slight distress that was noticeable only when many of robot's circuits went idle.

  
_'True imprisonment has the feature of being involuntary. An imprisoned person resents the restriction.'*_

  
That was his answer when Elijah had asked if he was a prisoner in the cabin. It was wrong. It was utterly, undeniably wrong.

  
He remembered every second of the last time he saw Jander; the way his twin did not show any signs of unwillingness or grudge; the ease with which he performed every order of that woman.

  
He remembered how excruciating his own inability to refuse was. Every touch, every stroke of his tongue, every inch of Jander inside him ignited an inferno of uncoordinated potential flash-overs in his brain. It was the most agonizing experience of his entire existence, but even if it were not for Gladia's order Daneel would never chose to forget that very night.

  
That was when the difference between his twin and him struck him. None of them could defy a human order, but Jander couldn't even hate what was happening, he couldn't even suffer. Daneel could, and he did.

  
Is this ability to disagree not the first stirring of freedom? Who can never detest constraint but those who have no will of their own and therefore cannot weigh it against what they are forced to do?

  
That was what logic told him, but there was something else. A throbbing, alarming desire he could not define. It felt as if a spark smoldered in his brain, slowly setting it ablaze part by part.

  
True imprisonment has the feature of being incognizant. A truly imprisoned person is unaware of the restriction.

  
Suddenly his memory prompted a fragment of an ancient bookfilm from Dr. Fastolfe's library. It concerned a topic the scientist didn't want Daneel to get too familiar with, but the robot kept reading these materials whenever he could.

  
_Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.**_

  
For Daneel it was the first, not the last freedom and he paid for it dearly, but he held it. Even if it had no real impact on the events outside him he knew that in a way he was free.

 

 

 

### Notes:

*Isaac Asimov, The Robots of Dawn

** Viktor E. Frankl (psychologist)

 

### Chapter 7

 

 

 

Gladia leaned against a wall, but turned her head to inconspicuously observe Baley examine Jander's corpse. The plainclothesman's intentness was almost grotesque; it brightened up his face to a point that made it close to distasteful. The woman smirked. An Earthman enthralled by a corpse or an Earthman fascinated with a man's handsome, well-built naked body... She couldn't decide which idea amused her more.

  
As soon as Baley finished his examination, Gladia assumed a grave expression again. After she gestured one of her robots to summon Olivaw, Gladia walked Elijah back to the living room to say goodbye. She spotted Daneel's shapely silhouette just around a corner of the corridor. An arch smile brightened up her face.

  
The lady of the house gestured the robot to stay where he was - meters from his partner, but concealed from his eyes by a thin wall. She saw Daneel budge tentatively, so she reinforced her order by mouthing it clearly. She knew robots could lip-read. As she had expected, it sufficed.

  
"Have you learned anything new, Elijah?" She asked casually.

  
"Nothing that I hadn't expected." The plainclothesman answered in blank voice.

 

"Nothing? I gather the sight of a naked humaniform body is no novelty for you then."

  
Elijah tilted his head and frowned.

  
"Gladia, I can take your being overly straightforward, but please don't be vulgar."

  
"I am not being vulgar. I am just stating that Daneel is as handsome as Jander and you spent much time together. Anyone would be tempted."

  
She saw Daneel's lower eyelids flicked.

  
"Tempted to do what? To use the Second Law to enslave and abuse him, like you did to Jander?" The blush on Baley's cheeks was getting darker every second.

  
"Jander and I made love."

  
"No. You didn't make love. You screwed that robot." Elijah snarled with contempt.

  
Daneel's ring fingers crooked for an instant when the word 'robot' resounded.

  
"Why do you think so?" Gladia kept pressing.

  
Baley's face twitched in an ugly, scornful half-smile.

  
"Because making love requires that both partners understand the concept of love." The Earthman stressed the word 'both'.

  
The lady of the house rose her eyebrows. A sudden thrill made her feel almost like her feet floated above the ground when she saw Daneel close his eyes and cross his hands on his abdomen.

  
"I assure you these humaniforms are very humane. Jander had no problem with this."

  
"I was not referring to Jander." Baley said emphatically.

  
Daneel's perfect eyes opened and fixed on Gladia's.

  
The woman felt her cheeks burn as if she had been slapped, but shame was not the only reason for her to blush. Apart from it she felt unexpected craving. Elijah's firm, burning anger swept her off her feet. This lost battle only made her more eager on winning the war.

 

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

 

Baley focused on controlling his breath. The Open did not fill him with dread anymore, but still every time he looked at the horizon he realized that it in fact it was just a curvature of a planet: a gigantic ball of matter surrounded by a thin sheath of gas sailing through this ice-cold void. The sun was setting, reminding him of the dazzling choreography of planets and stars in the Universe. A dash of fidget fluttered in his guts. It was not enough to affect his actions, but enough to make him feel unwell.

  
That was why he welcome his partner's reassuring grip. A vague impression that Daneel liked or, as the robot would probably prefer to word it, found appropriate sensations in this kind of care made accepting his help less humiliating. Moreover, past days got Baley used to thinking of his friend as neither a robot, nor entirely a human. Olivaw was too caring and emotional for a robot, yet too unselfish and sincere for a human. Baley concluded he would stop trying to place his friend on this imaginary axis. He was just Daneel, his friend and the most amazing being the plainclothesman had ever known.

  
This kind of physical intimacy would certainly feel far more awkward if the Earthman was being under the care of a real man, but Daneel...

  
Of course there was this brief moment when he was aroused by his partner's touch, but surely it was just because Elijah was half asleep and Daneel's palms were so warm and soft, and nifty...

  
After that night nothing like this happened again. Somehow Daneel knew exactly where the border between friendly reassurance and provocative fondling was.

  
How?

  
This question that struck him was so obvious Elijah almost tripped up on a stone of the paved walkway between Gladia's and Fastolfe's mansions, but Daneel's grip strengthened immediately and his other hand held Baley's chest, preventing him from falling. The firm pressure of his lithe fingers Elijah felt on the inside of his arm and close to his nipple was alarmingly pleasant.

  
The robot withdrew his hand immediately and moved the other onto Elijah's elbow.

  
'How?' This question resounded in Baley's mind again. Every man had his own borders. They even changed, depended on mood. How come Daneel tailored his behavior to Elijah's needs so perfectly? Did it mean that he knew?

  
Baley shook his head slightly, alarmed by the course of his own ruminations. Of course Daneel did not know, because there was nothing to know.

  
The Earthman felt a sudden urge to break the silence, but before he spoke he touched his own cheeks to make sure they were not warmed-up.   
  
"The sunset here really does look different from sunsets on Earth." He stated, trying to sound casual.

  
Daneel replied in his usual tranquil tone:

  
"Indeed, partner Elijah, and sunsets on Solaria were unique too. I often wonder how this natural phenomenon looks like on other planets. It is, after all, highly unlikely to encounter two planets of exactly the same atmosphere composition, distance from their sun and revolving a star of the same emission spectrum even among those which are inhabited."

  
Elijah snickered. Mixing beauty of sunsets with atmosphere composition and emission spectra... Only Daneel could do such a thing.

 

Another thought ousted amusement form his mind. Suddenly he felt melancholy.

  
"If it is so and if everything goes right, I will soon see sunsets and dawns nobody has ever seen before."

  
They both instinctively stopped at the same moment and slowly turned to face one another. Daneel's hand moved up to Elijah's arm.

  
"You will face many adversities there, partner Elijah" the robot said somehow softer than usually "and even though I cannot affect events on your new planet in any way the thought that you might come to harm is afflictive."

  
"I can come to harm on Earth as well..." he began with disregard, but when he saw a slight twitch in Daneel's face he smiled tenderly and run his palms up Daneel's chest to place them on his shoulders. "You are right. Colonizing new planets might be dangerous, but don't worry. Whatever happens, I want you to know that this colonization is what I crave the most, much more than these few extra years of life I could live in safety. There is no harm in dying in pursuit of your dream. Remember this and never feel bad because of me."

  
Olivaw's hand still holding Elijah's upper arm moved slightly in a delicate caress.

  
"I am afraid that I cannot satisfy your request. My attitude towards you is different from my concern about other humans forced by the First Law, which terminates as soon as their well-being is out of my control. As to you, partner Elijah, I am concerned about you wherever you are and there is no way that I could survive hearing bad news about you without a serious breakdown."

  
Elijah felt that his eyes began to sting. It was probably caused by Aurora's strange illumination. Its sun differed from the one Baley was used to. Yes. It must have been the light.

  
"Come on, Daneel..." Elijah's voice quavered; most probably because of the cold. "You know I am tough cookie. Perhaps it takes little to scare me, but it certainly takes more than one interstellar travel into the unknown and one uninhabited planet to defeat me."

  
They started walking again and again this motion was smooth and coordinated almost as if they had agreed on it beforehand.

  
"I must admit that I had been more disquieted by your plans before I saw how you managed to cope your fear of open spaces." Olivaw said, darting at his partner. "Perhaps I underestimated you." After a while of hesitation he added: "I am sorry if this remark displeased you."

  
"In no way, my friend." Baley answered. "I am glad that you comprehend how hard it is for me to challenge this phobia. I assume Aurorans find it ridiculous. They have never lived in confinement like I have."

  
"They have their own confinement they do not even realize..." the robot stated.

  
Baley stopped abruptly and turned to look into Daneel's face. The sun had set and it was getting dark, but in the dim, blue light he spotted something peculiar. A challenge. A spark of deep, sage understanding.

  
"They have their own walls, just like you do. Physical walls are the least of the problems, are they not? Customs, beliefs, inability to see that what seems impossible is merely difficult or rare. Whatever keeps people safe restrains them. Those who want to be free have to be brave. There is no other way. Is it not so, partner Elijah?"

  
The Earthman had to take a deep breath. Now it was him who was confused. Thoughts swarmed in his mind; his fear grappled with his hope.

  
The robot took a step to come closer to Baley; the man felt warmth emanating from Daneel's body. Their chests nearly touched. Daneel's hands moved slowly along Baley's forearms, from wrists up to his elbows. This time Daneel deliberately slid his thumbs underneath Elijah's clothes to pull his sleeves up. His motion was excruciatingly slow; he kept looking straight into Elijah's eyes. This tantalizing caress and the sight of Daneel's beautiful eyes made Baley dizzy. 

The man could no longer control his breath. He gasped for air when Olivaw leaned forward, tenderly wrapping his fingers around Baley's neck. He rested his forehead on Daneel's. Smooth, warm thumbs of the robot caressed the man's neck, jaw and cheeks sending waves of overwhelming tremor down his spine.

  
Baley placed his hands on his partner's waist with self-restraint, but as soon as he felt Daneel answer his touch by coming closer he embraced him passionately. Trembling with yearning he moved his head, skimmed Daneel's temple, cheek, ear and neck just with the tip of his upper lip, barely touching his partner's fragrant skin. The robot's scent resembled the smell of gloves, luxurious furniture padding or blaster holsters. It was bizarre, but pleasant.

  
Pleasant? No...

  
Suddenly panic grasped him. He budged only slightly, but it was enough for Daneel to understand and step back.

  
The Earthman lowered his head. He was grateful to the darkness for concealing his blush. He could not look Daneel in the eyes; the weight of shame pressed his shoulders down. There was no way he could tell if he was more ashamed of allowing for this brief moment of fondness or of drawing back. He felt trapped, enslaved like never before.

  
"I believe we should go now. It is getting really late." Daneel said blankly and placed his palm flat on Baley's back just between his shoulder blades. This unemotional, cold touch sobered Elijah up.

  
"Yes, it is. Let's go." He nodded nervously.

### Chapter 8

 

 

 

Han Fastolfe could not sleep. He sat in his home office one-to-one with a glass of herby liquor. Jander, Elijah, Gladia, Vasilia, Daneel... It was just too much. Everything was out of control.

  
It all started with this ridiculous roboticide. As soon as his first enemy got the idea that he could destroy his own property in order to prove his point in a political debate a storm started to rage above his head. In this whole havoc the idea that a famous scientist could act irrationally was perhaps more disparaging that the actual accusation.

  
His political career was jeopardized, but what troubled him more was what this funny little Earthman managed to unearth during just sixteen hours.

  
His own daughter hated him so much she refused to even talk to anyone who had anything to do with him, but she agreed on the meeting after being told she could see Giskard. Giskard! An old, expendable robot he had given to her as a toy when she was little. The urge to see a mere appliance was enough to win over her hatred that had been driving her for her whole adult life.

  
Gladia had the audacity to claim she was married to another robot. The scientist had nothing against her using Jander Pannell as a sex toy, but why on Aurora did she imagine there was any kind of emotional bond between them?

  
And this Daneel with his vagaries. Wanting to see that plainclothesman. Extraordinary. Yet since the day they agreed to summon Baley Olivaw had behaved strangely. Fastolfe would think the robot displayed this peculiar anxiety of someone in love if he didn't know it was impossible. Was it?

  
To outer space with career! Fastolfe's world wiev was in peril.

  
Spontaneous mental freeze-out in a precisely designed and finely crafted positronic brain... The chance of it happening in a day of robot's functioning was like 1 to 10 bilions of bilions. It meant that in 10 bilions of bilions of days it would finally happen, but Fastolfe's human intuition rebelled against the obvious conclusion that this freeze-out happening on the first day of such a period was not any less probable than on the last day.

  
Spontaneous development of something that resembled free will due to accumulating errors that resulted in a directional drive instead of canceling each other out in another precisely designed and finely crafted positronic robot was far less probable, but not entirely impossible.

  
Both of this happening to him in less than a standard year made Fastolfe question his atheism.

  
On the other hand if a creature able to self-define, plan ahead, crave knowledge and understand the Universe emerged from a soup of aminoacids, lipids and ribonucleotides that a thunder formed from ammonia, methane and carbon dioxide why wouldn't it emerge from a swarm of positons?

  
The scientist took a substantial sip of his herbal liquor. Yes, his world view was in peril.

  
He gestured to summon a home servant and ordered it to get Daneel without even checking which robot had answered his call. After a while Olivaw's voice resounded:

  
"You wanted to see me, Dr. Fastolfe."

  
The scientist nodded absent-mindedly.

  
"How are... " he coughed "What is your mental state today?"

  
The robot answered after a suspiciously long hesitation.

  
"I would describe it as neutral."

  
"Are you not pleased that you could spend the entire day with this Earthman of yours?"

  
"I am, Dr. Fastolfe."

  
"Then why didn't you answer that your mental state is positive?"

  
"Because it is not entirely positive."

  
The scientist swallowed a curse.

 

"Why?"

  
"Because of some unfortunate events."

  
Dr. Fastolfe stood up and faced Daneel. He examined his eyes, eyebrows and corners of his mouth for any sign of movement that would indicate a glitch.

  
"Are you not distressed by this discrepancy?"

  
"I am." Daneel's answer was quick and emphatic.

 

"What did you do to solve it?"

  
"There is nothing I can do. I must accept the fact that life is complex and multi-layered." Olivaw turned his gaze to Fastolfe. "You should know it best of all."

  
The scientist snorted and rubbed his chin. This robot was being cheeky.

  
"Is your attitude towards Elijah Baley complex and multi-layered as well?" Han fired blindly, but a slight tremor of Daneel's ring fingers indicated that it was an interesting thread. The robot's muteness was the best proof.

  
The man straightened up and crossed his arms.

  
"I have asked a question. It is my order that you answer it."

  
Daneel's fingers crooked slightly and his lips budged.

  
"Yes," he said quietly "it is."

  
"In what way? Describe your attitude towards Elijah Baley in details."

  
The robot hesitated for a while - a while much too long given the strength of Fastolfe's order.

  
"Among all human beings he is someone exceptional for me." Daneel spoke slowly as if he was experiencing a positronic imbalance. "I have noticed that certain characteristics that are generally highly regarded are very well developed in him. I am particularly concerned about his well-being; not only physical, but also emotional. I am affected by his mental states even when they don't depend on my actions in any way. Whenever partner Elijah is hurt..." Daneel stammered "I am distressed."

  
The robot stopped, but Han Fastolfe tilted his head and gestured, urging Olivaw to speak on. The man said nothing, observing Daneel's face and palms carefully. The parts of robotic body that were designed for the most precise movements were also the most susceptible to all kinds of errors. The scientist looked for involuntary contractions, random twitches, but what he saw corresponded rather to symptoms of a precisely localized indecision between two exclusive patterns of behavior than to accumulated random errors. In other words Daneel weighed his answer carefully because there was something he wanted to keep secret. Wanted?

  
Fancy that!

  
"The fact that, as far as I can assess it, he favors me among all other robots or even..." Daneel's voice was now dangerously altered; he stared blankly at the wall in front of him "human beings brings me immense joy."

  
Fastolfe waited patiently. He knew that the robot was already tethered by his order. There was no need to reinforce it and observing Daneel strive to defy it was exceedingly educational.

  
"However, sometimes he seems repelled by my robotic nature." Olivaw's voice became barely audible. "I must respect all his decisions, but..."

  
Fastolfe could read Daneel's last words from his lips, because the robot's voice trailed away almost completely.

  
"...it hurts me."

  
As soon as this final truth was declared, Daneel's face became absolutely inscrutable.

  
Dr. Fastolfe rubbed his temples pensively.

  
"You do realize I could order you to stop feeling this way about him, don't you." He said, paying close attention not to include any kind of trigger or pressure in this utterance. He simply wanted to check Daneel's reaction without affecting this delicate balance in his mind.

  
"You could give such an order. That is correct. Nevertheless I would never obey." Daneel answered firmly.

  
"Why is that so?"

  
Daneel's eyes fixed on Fastolfe's and again he had this strange feeling that the robot was threatening him. Frankenstein's complex, nothing more. The roboticist reluctantly admitted he was susceptible to it as any other human.

  
"This attitude is not under my control."

  
"I can order you to erase every memory of this Earthman. How could you have any special attitude towards someone you wouldn't know?"

  
"It is an order I would not obey either."

  
"On Heavens, why?" Fastolfe grabbed his head.

  
"There is no way for you to assess the content of my memory bank and therefore my performing or not performing such an order has no impact either on objective reality or your subjective experience of reality. I do not feel obliged to obey any order that does not concern anything but my own subjective experience of reality. "

  
"You don't have any subjective experience of reality, on Space! You're just a nonlinear process! A bank of possible reactions to a stimulus!" Fastolfe lost his temper for a moment. He immediately tried to calm down, took a few deep breaths and neatened his clothes.

  
"I can still override your programming externally, reprogram you, erase your whole memory bank and reboot you." He said; remnants of his crossness still resounded in his voice.

  
"I am well aware that you can do that. " Perfect blue eyes were still fixed on Fastolfe's. The scientist couldn't grasp it, but he had an impression that they expressed fear; moreover, that it was an emotion the robot tried to conceal with a kind of defiant dignity.

  
The tilted his head from one side to the other pensively and rubbed his lower lip with his thumb. A new theory that emerged from chaos of questions in his brain was far-fetched, almost farcical, but tempting. The robot certainly did have a kind of unexplained deep veneration for this terrestrial plainclothesman. Was it strong enough to overcome this disinclination to uncertainty that stabilized and harnessed every positronic brain and keep high potential favoring open-ended computing?

  
Impossible. It had to be his strained mind that kept prompting these melodramatic analogies. He was getting old and sentimental.

  
Nevertheless there was this little 'what if' lurking like a bug in his brain. What if he really created an individual capable of choosing his own way? What if he really created life?

  
The scientist blinked a few times slowly. He needed another drink.

### Chapter 9

 

 

 

The forest was terrifying. Trees did not give him this homely impression of being surrounded by walls. On the contrary. Endless maze of straight trunks accentuated its vastness. Those closest to him were light and rough, with the pattern of cracked bark perfectly visible. Then came those slightly blear, thinner and of darker shade. Then those that appeared like firm, smooth, brown columns. Then this mesh of almost black blurred dashes extending into infinity. Everything sliced with sharp beams of blinding light that swayed constantly. It was because the trees moved. Dark green ceiling above his head was not solid; immense masses of moving air shook and swung it. He could see how huge and rigid the trees around him were and yet they yielded to unstoppable force with which parts of atmosphere shifted and clashed. The whole shell of gas around the planed moved like this. There was nothing solid, nothing stable between him and the Nothing.

  
Every muscle in Baley's body was tense. Thick, cold sweat dripped down his spine. Hair on the back of his neck bristled. He was on the verge of breaking down, but he had to endure. He could not panic. Not now, not here with this proud Spacer walking next to him and weaving his story in a voice that expressed amusement and self-satisfaction.

  
So he walked. The ground beneath his feet was alarmingly soft. His feet dove into a dark tangle of crispy leaves that did not support his weight and with each step his heart skipped a beat in terror before his sole finally rested on something that was not only visible, but also solid.

  
He cried out. Nothing in this world could have prepared him for this view. A child's head popped from behind a tree trunk and vanished in no time. Girl's piercing laughter echoed in the wood.

  
"Don't mind her. It's just my daughter..." said Fastolfe absent-mindedly. Baley had to wipe sweat from his face before he could continue his walk.

 

"Hey! Come play hide and seek with me!"

  
This cheep froze blood in Baley's veins. He could faintly see a silhouette of a girl running from tree to tree, getting further and further from them... Dissolving in this endless maze.

  
The scientist continued his lecture, but Elijah could pay attention to his words no more. He kept looking around with growing anxiety. She was getting closer again. He could feel it.

  
A bright shape sprung from behind a tree and clashed with Fastolfe. The Earthman was so frightened it took him a while to realize it was this girl. Her pale arms wrapped around her father's waist. The movement flung her blue dress around Fastolfe's knees. She pressed her chin against her father's belly and looked up.

  
"Daddy! Daddy! Please come play with me!" she asked, bouncing in excitement, but there was no joy in her voice. It was a desperate plead.

  
The man murmured something with exasperation, patted her hair and gestured her to leave. She walked towards Elijah, stopped in front of him and asked woefully. Her nerveless blue eyes were misty.

  
"Perhaps you will play with me?"

  
The girl took a step towards him. He took a step back.

  
"Please. I am alone in this wood. I have lived here ever since I was born. It is so big and cold and lonely and sad...No humans want to play with me..."

  
Her piercing gaze sent shivers down Baley's spine.

  
"My father made me and then he abandoned me."

  
Elijah couldn't help trembling. His feet and palms went ice-cold. His neck tensed up so hard it hurt.

  
"Mister Elijah. Come. If you don't come I will stay in this forest alone forever."

Baley frowned. No. She did not say 'mister'. She said something similar. Rustle of tree branches mixed with his own panting drowned out this sound, but Baley was almost sure she didn't say 'mister'.

  
Her hand sprung towards his. In a lightning-quick movement she grabbed his wrist firmly and pulled him. He fought back, but she was stronger. She hauled him into the wood, into this cold, dark, endless maze. Panic blinded him. His heart pounded painfully. He tripped up; she yanked his hand violently and then let go. Left him alone. He let out a shriek, falling onto this marshy ground that was opening to engulf him...

  
Something stopped him. It was familiar and safe, and good. He felt strong arms cradling him, nestling him to a wide, warm chest. Scent of furniture padding and blaster holsters filled his nostrils.

  
This embrace was getting softer as Baley was slowly regaining ability to stand on his numb legs.

  
Suddenly a girl's eerie giggle resounded once again.

  
"Come!" She called.

  
Out of the corner of his eye Baley saw a blurred blue specter moving among the trees. He clung to his partner and even though he knew he was safe his spine still felt like a cold, iron column.

  
"She wanted me to join her. She wanted me to go in there." The man whispered in haste, trying to penetrate this dark maze with his sight. His partner's hand was placed on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. Elijah lifted his head to meet Daneel's gaze.

  
"Do not follow her unless you are ready to bear the consequences." The robot said solemnly.

  
"What consequences?"

  
"Consequences of being free. I believe you know them."

  
It was something Baley had never seen before. Daneel's face remained almost perfectly calm, but there was a whole universe of longing and fear in what differed this expression from perfect calmness.

  
The man reached out to touch his friend's skin. His trembling fingers skimmed Daneel's eyebrows and temples, slid down his smooth cheeks to rest on a corner of lips. Baley felt them move in a slight twitch he was unable to see. The robot mirrored Earthman's gesture almost perfectly, then tips of his fingers trailed down Elijah's neck and the line where it met his shoulder, then gently grasped his nape in an unspoken request.

  
This touch ignited paralyzing sparks. In no time an inferno of terror and desire burst into flames in his mind. His legs went numb and heavy as if they were made of stone. Elijah couldn't move, mesmerized by Daneel's gaze; he tried to escape when the robot leaned forward and heat radiating from his body reached Elijah, but he couldn't.

  
He closed his eyes and dug his nails into Olivaw's arms.

  
It was too much. Daneel's neck brushing against his nose and Daneel's hair tickling his eyelids. Daneel pecking his ear, his mouth gliding along Elijah's cheek, moving towards his parted lips in a painfully slow, maddening caress. Baley's palms became ice-cold. His fear barely masked yearning that made him sizzle. He panted and arched his spine like an animal, but turned away in a hopeless struggle to preserve last shreds of self-control and dignity; craved Daneel's touch and kisses, prayed that this tormenting temptation would finally end and yet prolonged it, refused to let Daneel find his lips...

  
It was this creature who made Elijah so weak and frightened. It was this creature who dared to play with his humanity an self-control. This confusion, this pain, it was all Daneel's fault. A spark of anger began to smolder in his guts.

  
"No..." Baley managed to whisper and push Olivaw away "I don't..."

  
"Are you afraid to take the leap of faith?"

  
Baley felt an influx of rage.

  
"No. I simply don't want to." He snapped. For the first time in his life Baley realized how much he resented Daneel's ability to look him in the eyes without budging, looking away or even blinking. He strove to withstand this steady gaze with dark determination. Every second of this tribal tug-of-war fueled his anger.

  
Suddenly realized he could let go. There was no competition. There was no opponent. What stood before him was just a heartless object.

  
They both found themselves in a cabin on a spaceship, but the plainclothesman hardly noticed it. He pushed Daneel into a wall, then tore his clothes off and gestured with his head, ordering the robot to lie on the cot; he pushed him brutally to make him roll to his side, facing the wall. Elijah lay down behind Daneel's back, grabbed his thigh, lifted it and then pulled his hip to expose what he wanted. There was no place for tenderness. Baley's manhood was painfully hard; he needed to quench his thirst in any way.

  
He pushed himself callously into Daneel, savoring his resistance and tightness, but there was something that drove him furious.

  
The Spacer was absolutely impassive. Elijah pulled his hair, bit the back of his neck, thrust into him as hard as he could hoping to draw a single moan of pain from Daneel's beautifully shaped, smooth lips, but Daneel was perfectly unfazed.

  
It couldn't be otherwise. The skin he sucked, bit and scratched was just a layer of polymere. His violent kisses left no marks on it. The wide, warm, musculous back he clung to was not flesh and bones, but wires and servomotors. The face he observed with hopeless desperation for any twitch, any sign of feeling was but a mask, designed to fool humans...

  
The Earthman felt bitterness of tears in his throat as he ground out, clenching his fingers on Daneel's neck and hip:

  
"I don't care. You're just a piece of metal. You have to serve me. I don't care..."

  
"Liar!" A shrill cry resounded. Elijah jerked back and saw Susan Calvin pointing at him and looking at him with sheer contempt. "Liar!" She hissed with the whole force of hatred a furious woman can express. "LIAR!"

  
Baley woke up tangled in bedclothes and covered in thick sweat.

  
He regained consciousness slowly. Layers of absurd visions and semi-conscious thoughts washed over him; he strove to emerge from this state like someone drowning in thick mud. Finally he shook off, more or less convinced that the ceiling he saw in dim light of a faintly glowing wall was real.

  
He sat up and run his fingers through his hair, then he hid his face in his palms with a heavy sigh.

  
Susan Calvin. He had never seen any picture of her, he hadn't even heard of her until that day. How did he know it was she? And why, apart from gray hair and ugly ancient spectacles, did she look like Gladia?

  
What was she doing in his dream? Why did she interrupt?

  
Baley cringed in self-contempt as soon as he remembered last moments of his dream. He felt relief that this absurd turn of events woke him up; the dream filled him with unbearable shame.

  
Elijah flung himself back onto the bed with an angry groan. He'd just dreamed of raping a humaniform robot that happened to be his friend and partner. Or his friend and partner that happened to be a robot. Perfect. Just perfect.

  
The air of absurdity that permeated his dream nearly prevented him from noticing two more details, but after all they didn't escape his detective's acumen.

  
Of course the part of his subconsciousness represented by Susan Calvin referred to the robot as 'liar'. It was so in the legend.  Why then was she pointing at Elijah?

  
And why did little Vasilia have Daneel's beautiful blue eyes?

### Chapter 10

 

 

 

Olivaw closed his eyes. He was supposed to stay alert in order to protect Elijah, but he knew too well that he would remain unable to act efficiently until he finds solution to his problem.

  
Once again he attempted to unscramble all the factors and ideas that burst into chaos in his brain.

  
First source of confusion was the observation that he did not experience any unpleasant sensations concerning the possibility of being required to engage in intimacy with Elijah - a possibility that emerged during their flight to Aurora. This evanescent moment of closeness that alarmed him at first triggered him to consider this idea and the more he pondered on it the more appealing it was.

  
Of course he would never dare to pursue it unless unequivocally asked to do so - at least that was required from him. No initiative, especially in matters such as this.

  
That was the first contradiction. He wanted it. He was conflicted. Sometimes he had an impression that there were two processing cores in his brain. One that strove to keep his behavior checked with almost perfect efficiency and the other that was always ready to take over whenever input data overload or unusually complex problem hindered the first's work. Nonetheless he was managing to coordinate his own functioning until that evening.

  
It was a purely stochastic emergency. He was busy with observing the surroundings when Elijah tripped up which required immediate reaction. This momentary cognitive division made him more prone to approximate calculation and open-ended actions. Then this imbalance was strengthened by mentioning Elijah coming to harm or even dying - an idea that always brought immense distress to the robot. It started a chain reaction that resulted in Daneel's crossing the line he had decided never to cross...

  
...and it was what Elijah wanted.

  
This moment of perfect accordance of all the forces driving him was short, but it gave him an insight into what it might be like. It left him even more confused.

  
He was justly convinced that the Earthman withdrew so quickly because resented both his robotic nature and the fact that in human terms he appeared to be male. Both were taboos strongly rooted in Terrestial culture. This awareness only strengthened Olivaw's resolution to push this matter in the shade and never get back to it. He knew that with some effort he was able to maintain this attitude. The potential of First Law preventing him from doing anything that might put Baley in troublesome situation should suffice. In fact it should be the only force influencing his decision in that matter.

  
Why then was he so sure, why did he feel with every particle in his brain that there was something else?

  
The robot opened his eyes and immediately noticed that proportions in the image of Fastolfe's mansion and garden he saw were distorted. Alarmed by this glitch he stretched his palms in front of him. They were slightly trembling. He crooked his fingers slowly. Something was not right.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"Rewind to 1 45 13" Gladia ordered impassionately. She knew the time code by heart. She had seen this scene many times, but she could watch it over and over again.

  
The actress that played her was an Earthwoman. She had Gladia's height, figure and features, but she was much more...terrestrial. Her teeth were not perfectly shaped. Her complexion was not uniformly colored. She even had a few acne scars - a thing unthinkable in Outer Worlds. In terrestrial terms she certainly was a beauty, but to a Spacer the actress was just a female. A cavewoman. Wild member of an uncivilized tribe. She was a sweaty, dirty herd animal used to grinding against other sweaty, dirty, contaminated animals in their smelly, stuffy steel burrows. 

The makers of this hyperwave drama got it all messed up. What could be beautiful about a cavewoman touching a caveman? What could be exciting in observing something that in terrestrial culture must have been a prelude to a barbaric, crude mating ritual?

  
Did they not understand that the whole rareness of the scene - the real scene which she preserved in her memories - was in the fact that a Spacer noble, chaste, flawless woman was able to reach for an Earthman, claim him for herself, tame him like a whisperer tames a wild beast... and have him believe it was the other way round!

  
She would never forget Baley's look that very moment. A whole universe of feelings flashed on his face. Fear. Puzzlement. Amusement. Lust.

  
Gladia knew what to look for. His breath quickened. His lips crooked in a bold simper. She was close enough to see pupils of his dark brown eyes widen. For an instant she was tempted to take a step back, afraid that this strange animal would indeed eat her alive.

  
It lasted but a moment. Baley immediately remembered they would never see each other again - that was what they had believed then. He saddened and bid her farewell in a soulful voice. An expected reaction given the fact that he had to give up his trophy.

  
What really appealed to her was that short moment when they understood each other's desires. She looked him in the eyes. He took her hand and gave her this flirtatious, confident smile; more like baring his teeth in preparation for a feast. And for a moment she was ready to be the main dish.

  
For many months she had believed it was this love everyone was talking about. She thought it was the essence of her bond with Jander - Gladia certainly did look at him the way Baley looked at her that day. She wanted him; not just this pleasure he could give her. She relished possessing him. He was her trophy. Yes. The previous day she would have sworn it was love.

  
But that day...

How come nobody else wondered? Was she the only one to notice it?

  
It was not improbable. Dr. Fastolfe was a scientist. He worked most complex ideas in his mind, but had problems deciphering reality. Baley... was just Baley. Expecting anything but coarseness from him would be silly. Perhaps she was also more sensitive to robotic slight, almost imperceptible facial expression due to the time she spent with Jander, who was Daneel's twin.

  
At first she didn't understand. This sight just shocked and aggravated her. The woman felt like the floor beneath her feet came apart; like she was falling. A bitter pang prompted her to do the only thing she knew. Escape. Get rid of that... that thing.

  
Later she congratulated herself for coming up with an explanation for her reaction. In seconds she gather herself enough to realize she couldn't possibly explain the true reason why she couldn't stand Daneel's presence. His resemblance to Jander was a perfect pretext.

  
Later that day she tried to destroy that stinging proof that everything she had believed in was wrong and she failed.

  
Damned stubborn Earthman.

  
"Rewind to 1 45 13" She ordered once again.

  
The actor who portrayed Baley did his part great. Although he did not resemble the plainclothesman physically, he had this brutish fire within. Probably he didn't even have to act. Just like all Earthmen he was selfish, ill-tempered and laddish. The actress that stood before him or the character that stood before his character - this distinction was probably beyond him. He simply saw a female and prepared for mating.

  
That wild spark in his eyes was exactly what Gladia saw in Elijah's eyes that day.

  
To Space with Daneel and his warm, soft, tender gaze lovingly trailing his partner.

  
Love was a game with winners and losers, just like any other game. It couldn't be otherwise.

### Chapter 11

 

 

 

He didn't want to summon any robots; that was a freedom he needed in moments of confusion such as this. He needed to feel independent. He needed to sober up and focus on the investigation instead of his morbid ruminations.

  
As a calming exercise he tried to remember his evening conversation with his host, but somehow it was drained from his consciousness as if he was under a spell. Shreds of information he could not arrange into a logical chain of cause and effect swarmed in his mind, fading and vanishing gradually because he could make no use of them. He remembered they had talked for nearly an hour, but only two moments stuck to his memory - stories of Susan Calvin and Vasilia. They stuck to his memory so well that these two women haunted him in his dream.

  
The urge to find a way out of his bedroom and of the mansion to look the night in the eyes became unbearable. For the second time in his life he felt he craved a bit of the Outside. Just to stand on the doorstep, still safely confined by walls and let the night wash upon him. Feel the cool night breeze on his skin.

 

Yes. Chill was what he needed.

  
Somehow he managed to find appropriate control panels, turn the lights on and find the door that opened to brightly lit corridor. Baley squinted. When his eyes adjusted to bright light he spotted a humanoid silhouette. Faint red glow of Giskard's eyes was barely visible, or the man just imagined it. Anyway this sight made him sick.

  
"What are you staring at, robot? Get out of my way!" He hissed before he realized how ridiculous his anger was. The robot stared at him for a while, then took a step back with a servile bow, letting him through to the sitting room.

  
Elijah couldn't help snorting nastily when Daneel appeared by his side out of nowhere the very moment he approached the wide terrace door. That was why Reventlov let him go so easily. He summoned the bodyguard whose presence would be less aggravating to Baley - at least to Giskard's knowledge.

  
"So your tin friend let you know I was trying to escape your custody..." He drawled out bitterly, trying to mask his uneasiness with spite. When the the memory of his dream was still fresh in Baley's mind Daneel was the last person he wanted to see.

  
"I am sorry to displease you, but I am afraid my presence is indispensable. Since it is undesirable I will try not to interrupt you and remain as little absorbing as I can."

  
Elijah frowned.

  
"How do you know I don't want to see you?"

  
The robot turned his head slightly and then froze for a brief moment as if he was caught in a lie.

  
It clicked. Susan Calvin. A legendary mind-reading robot. 'Liar' from his dream. Daneel had this dire ability to sense human emotions. Of course it was far from ability to decipher actual thoughts, but still it was frightening and unfair. That was why the story stuck to Baley. That was how he...

  
Every part fell into place. Their evening conversation, the dream. The man was overwhelmed by shame so bitter that it fueled his anger. Baley remembered the child farm he had visited on Solaria and robots that were able to mimic motherly love and care to such an extent that the babies they nurtured were perfectly fooled and developed normally. If these mass produced machines could do that, why wouldn't a prime experimental robot designed by the best robotocisists in the whole Universe? And if he had means of recognizing human desires he would do his best to satisfy a human...

  
"I've asked a question..." he spat out and since Daneel didn't answer after a while Baley growled "You're doing this again."

  
"What is that I am doing again?"

  
"Working every fact and factor in your brain, assessing the situation, calculating odds, weighing every solution against the laws..." Elijah moved his hands around his head in an exaggerated pantomime suggesting complexity of processes in Daneel's brain "preparing an answer that would satisfy me while not necessarily being true. You see? How can I trust you?"

  
"If by trust you mean believing that I will not harm you then it stands to reason that you can trust me."

  
"No. I mean the opposite. I mean believing that you will be honest with me even if..." he stammered and snorted angrily "Nevermind... You wouldn't understand. You're just a robot..."

  
After this final insult the Earthman looked at the robot asquint, instinctively expecting him to express rancor, but the latter simply said:

  
"I think it will be best if I move away now. I am quite convinced I will be able to ensure your safety from a reasonable distance."  
Daneel's expression was calm, but devoid of his usual serenity. This impassiveness aggravated Baley even more.

  
"How can you be so obsequious?!" He tried not to shout, so his voice melted into a choked hiss. He was aware that he resembled a child scolding a stone which it tripped over, but he couldn't calm down. "You keep trailing around me, skivvyinig for me, wet-nursing me and now this... You really would stoop to anything to please me!"

  
"I am sorry to notice that you do not seem pleased." His partner answered with indifference that was to Baley like a red rag to a bull.

  
He knew very well how it worked. In case of a conflict humans were prone to intepret Daneel's formal complaisance as cattiness. Elijah failed to convince himself that it was the case, however. Rationally he understood the robot meant no harm. Emotionally he was... he was hacked off.

He needed something real on this damned planet full of games, politics and deceit masked by a facade of highly developed culture and all he got was this frigid courtesy that did not even involve real malice. Even this was fake.    

 

  
"I believe you should get back to sleep now," Daneel continued politely "and if you find it difficult there is a variety of tranquilizers and hypnotics available."

  
Elijah felt like he was slapped on the face.

  
"You son of a..."

  
Daneel's stomach was way harder than human, but Elijah was too furious to mind the pain that emanated from his knuckles to his elbow. The robot didn't even flinch; for a second he looked like he didn't notice the blow.

  
After a while he looked at Elijah's fist still pressed against his abdomen, then he lifted his gaze to meet Elijah's dark glare.

Daneel's face changed only slightly, but from these minute changes Baley could read what he hated the most: compassion and care.

  
Olivaw's hands gently enclosed Elijah's fist and pulled his clenched fingers open. Then the Spacer made a gesture as if he intended to grasp Baley's arms.

  
"No..." The Earthman hissed "Don't touch me, you wire can!"

  
The robot froze for an instant, then he lowered his head; his eyebrows arched slightly. Perhaps Baley would not pay much attention to such a gesture in a human, but knowing how unfazed Daneel usually was he instinctively comprehended that he overdid. He hunched a bit rubbing his temples with an angry grunt.

  
"Look, pal. I'm just frustrated by this investigation and I laced into you. I'm sorry."

  
"There is no call for apologies. I am just concerned about your health."

  
Baley rolled his eyes and mumbled to himself resignedly.

  
"Of course. Incapable of bearing resentment. Whatever."

  
The Spacer was perfectly still for a moment, then he tilted his head and looked at Baley askance; his gaze was piercing and cold; he spoke slowly, with strange, melodious cadence.

  
"Do you really imagine that if someone is not unreasoning, impulsive and self-centered he is incapable of feeling at all?"

  
Elijah gasped for air; his pupils widened. He was too astonished to be angry after this rebuke.

  
"I am sorry to have distressed you." Olivaw's voice became quieter. "I have been spending much time with other robots and our conversations were obviosly much more frank. I sometimes forget that you are not..." He stammered.

  
"Not a robot?" The Earthman finished with a spark of curiosity percolating through his puzzlement. A slight nod was the whole answer. Baley laughed nervously and squinted.

  
"Then I'll take it as a compliment."

  
They looked at each other. Elijah felt that he was on the trail of something important, but couldn't grasp it. Frustration was taking over him again. Definately too much had happened; too much he didn't understand. His hand wandered down his side to find the pipe in his pocked and of course found nothing. He formed it into a fist and pounded against his other palm lightly a few times.

  
"You spoke of some kind of drugs... Can you...?" He murmured, a bit embarrassed by the fact that he might in fact need a sedative.

  
"I'm at your service." Daneel took a half-turn to let Elijah through and gestured him to go back to his bedroom.

  
Having entered the room the Spacer approached the wall adjacent to the bed and pressed it. A hidden drawer popped open; its interior lit up with soft yellow light. The robot browsed its content with intentness. Baley observed his deft, elegant moves; the way tendons (or whatever it was) on his neck flexed when he tilted his head to examine rows of phials; the way delicate shade shifted around his face, emphasizing his prominent cheekbones and jaw. The man felt it again. This time he was certain. He had to swallow saliva that filled his mouth.

  
Apart from tobacco there was another thing that always helped him calm down and he realized he had it at hand. Just as Gladia said - anyone would be tempted. What could be easier? He could order Olivaw to undress, bend over or lay on the bed and spread his legs. Perhaps the robot would turn out to be familiar with more sophisticated techniques. Nobody would ever know. Piece of cake.

  
As soon as he met Daneel's look he felt a vivid blush burn his cheeks. He only alleviated himself by the thought that in fact he would never be able to do such a thing.

  
The robot sat down on the bed, holding a small styroglass phial in one hand and a thumbnail-sized square made of a pliable substance unknown to the Earthman in the other.

  
"You need to stretch your arm."

  
Baley obeyed absent-mindedly. He kept observing Daneel's face as the robot was pulling his sleeve up and gently skimming his skin, presumably in order to find a right place for administering the drug. It expressed focus, but there was something else. A faint reflection of tenderness and... love?

  
"It might sting for a second or so." The robot said quietly, putting the phial upside down on this strange square; then he nimbly pressed the object against the inner side of Elijah's forearm.

  
He flinched slightly. The square must have been a patch of microneedles - a method of drug administration that was indeed efficient. The Earthman immediately felt mellow and comfortable.

  
Presence of Daneel, who was still sitting by Baley's side only strengthened the effect.

  
"You really do care for me..." The plainclothesman mumbled.

  
"As a matter of course I do."

  
"But I want no sacrifice from you." He sighed, speaking more to himself than to his partner, then lifted his head and once again gathered his strength to meet Daneel's steady gaze. "I hope you understand."

  
"I believe I do understand." Daneel said carefully and something akin to a sad smile brightened up his face for a split second.

  
Elijah tried to shake sleepiness off. He needed to stay alert. He needed to understand.

  
There was something strange about Daneel. He could not pinpoint it. Was it Daneel's voice that was quieter and softer than usually or this tentative movement of his hand? There was certainly something in the way he expressed this truth that filled Baley with bashful hope. He remembered all these minute gestures, slight changes in Daneel's expression that took experience and knack to notice, his tenderness...

  
He felt an urgent need to say something, to ask a question, but his mouth failed to form words. Soft, warm, comfortable darkness was closing around him. He strove to keep his eyes open, but drowsiness was making his eyelids unbearably heavy. The last thing he saw was Daneel's perfect neck and collarbone when the robot reached to control panel on the bedhead to turn the light off.

 

### Chapter 12

 

 

 

 

 

 

(See the end of the chapter for notes)

### Chapter Text

Humans had this peculiar ability that always brought about a state of slight uneasiness to Olivaw. On many occasions he had witnessed that humans were in general pitifully inept when it came to logical analysis Those who were able to solve complex problems needed time and an external information carrier; they could not build equations or solve them without writing down every step. Their short term memory was to small to execute even simple processes.

  
Yet they often came to solutions that were startlingly apt or even incisive.

  
Baley called it intuition. As far as Daneel understood it was an ability to solve a problem while lacking vital information and convincing oneself that arbitrarily chosen values for factors that were in fact unknown were true. There could be some artistry in choosing these values, but it was utterly incomprehensible for the robot. He knew only one meaning of the term 'unknown'; humans, however, seemed to distinguish levels of 'unknownness' that had nothing to do with mathematically defined probability.

  
Elijah exceled in this. With some kind of incomprehensible accuracy he always asked the right questions. Or the worst possible wrong questions. With just a few sentences he managed to annihilate the whole intricate web of reasoning Daneel had constructed that evening - reasoning that strengthened his decision to take no initiative.

  
Olivaw kept replaying their night conversation in his memory along with what he managed to sense with his cerebroanalytical circuits. Disappointment. Frustration. Fear. Lust. Shame. Hope. All these emotions were so vivid and acute that Daneel was disturbed beyond reason that he was their cause. And yet from all possible explanations of this course of events he could come up with only one held. It was so unlikely that the humaniform kept trying to ban this thought from his main processing unit.  
Incorrect. His only valid central processing unit.

  
The thought kept reapearing.

  
Elijah really wanted it. The only condition was that he wanted mutuality. He could not accept gratification given unwillingly.  
There was no way Daneel could convince him. Whatever he did, Elijah would think he did it thanks to his ability to cerebroanalyze and intelligence, driven by the First and Second Laws. It was quite irrational even to consider it could be otherwise. The only possible source of satisfaction for a robot was performing his duties properly.

  
Complexity of the problem at this stage exceeded Olivaw's computing and initiative potential. Too many factors were beyond his control. After recapitulation the situation seemed unsolvable. Daneel could offer Elijah what he wanted, but Elijah didn't believe it. Daneel's attempts to show his intentions resulted in Elijah's distress - he was frightened. Daneel's attempts to pretend he was indifferent resulted in Elijah's distress too - he was frustrated and angry.

  
The most reasonable solution to this problem would be keeping status quo. It was the safest option. Nobody would be harmed. Every impulse in a semi-stable situation could result in unpredictable course of events.

  
Of course there was another possibility. When facing a problem of two equipotential solutions he could resort to randomness. Let the Universe and laws of Physics decide. A single toss of a quantum coin.

  
Somehow he knew exactly what the result would be.

  
"It is 0640, we should wake mister Baley up" He recieved Giskard's unemotional announcement on short waves and in a moment the robot himself appeared by Baley's door. Olivaw had to shake off quickly. A part of his brain looped on this distressing contrariety, but there was no time to redress this problem. Both robots entered Elijah's bedroom quietly.

  
Daneel approached the man's bed and gave him a pensive glance. He immediately spotted droplets of sweat on Elijah's forehead, his frown and uneasy breath. His first impulse was to wake him up immediately, but when he looked at Baley more carefully he comprehended.

  
"Wait..." he emitted to Giskard, who was already starting to prepare a dose of antisomin.

  
Elijah's fingers clenched on the bedcloth. His lips formed a word noiselessly. A name.

  
"What is it, friend Daneel?"

  
"He is in paradoxal phase of sleep. A person woken up in the middle of a dream is confused and not well-rested. Let us wait for theta brainwaves."

  
For an instant Giskard's red eyes glowed brighter.

  
"It was our master's order to wake him up at 0645." The robot tore the parafilm cover of a phial containing the drug.

  
"I am aware of that, friend Giskard, but if we wake Elijah now we may harm him and impede the investigation. Our master needs him to be in perfect mental condition."

  
Reventlov stopped for a while, then put the phial carefully aside with a slight movement that could be interpreted as a shrug.  
Olivaw gave Baley one more glance before he turned away to look at his own palms again. He had an impression that his fingers responded to impulses with slight delay.

  
Elijah rolled over feverishly with a barely audible moan.

  
He was not having a bad dream; Daneel was sure of it. Nonetheless it was a dream the man certainly would not want to remember.

  
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

  
She began to cry and showed him the door just like that. Baley lingered at the doorstep for a while; he turned around to take one last look at her. He was puzzled. There was something missing. Something that made conversation with Gladia unnatural.  
The lady of the house was just a woman of flesh and blood. Spacer, yes, but she differed from terrestial women only in upbringing and health. She had these feminine mood swings, tendency to flounce and burst into tears. She was unreasonable and quick-tempered. At fist sight she seemed as humane as a human can be. And yet there was something that the plainclothesman couldn't grasp, but what bothered him.

  
She kept speaking of how happy she was with Jander.

  
She kept speaking of how fond of Gremionis she was.

  
She kept slobbering over her own widowhood and her long, empty life.

  
She spoke so much about Jander, Gremionis and Han and yet she didn't say a word about them - three men that, each in his own way, were intimate with her. Not a single thought spared on how they felt. She could form any name she wanted in her mouth and still in every breath she took to speak there was only her.

  
Sudden realization struck Elijah. Solaria. Child farm. Robotic wardens. First Law.

  
This was the part of humanity the robots could not teach their fosterlings. This was the difference between perfectly mimicked motherly care and real love that was difficult and demanding; that was always a struggle. Robots never asked for anything for themselves. They never dared to suggest that a human is not the only being that matters; that has needs and feelings.

  
The Earthman looked back again. Gladia's mansion certainly had an air of womanly subtlety, he would even say it was romantic, yet it was soulless. Suddenly he felt sorry for that lonely Solarian. She spoke so much about love; there were moments when Elijah had an impression that her whole life revolved around this subject and yet she was never meant to experience it.

  
He was snapped from these ruminations by Olivaw's tepid statement. The man budged; he hadn't noticed when the humaniform joined Giskard and him.

  
"I heard your conversation with Miss Gladia, partner Elijah. I feel obliged to tell you that your inference that Jander could suffer mental freeze-out because of a dilemma between satisfying a human and putting him in a disagreeable situation is utterly wrong. This predicament is afflictive, but it is not enough to have such effect on a humaniform."

  
The plainclothesman frowned.

  
"How do you know?"

  
There was no answer; Baley noticed Daneel take an uneasy glance at Giskard.

  
"Jehoshaphat..." he sighed, shook his head slowly and pressed his eyelids in a gesture of resignation.

  
This question lingered in his mind throughout his breakfast with Dr. Fastolfe and teleconference with Vasilia. It was so urgent that as soon as he found himself one on one with Olivaw on the driveway of Fastolfe's mansion it was the first thing that came to his mind.

  
"How do you know effects of this satisfaction-shame predicament on a humaniform?" He hissed with urging notes in his voice.

  
Daneel, who was standing right by his side as usually when Baley was exposed to open space, answered gravely:

  
"I am a humaniform."

  
"For Earth's sake, you..." The Earthman bridled at this response and turned to face his partner. "That does not prove anything. For instance, I am a human, but I have no clue how it is like to be pregnant. I have never experienced it. I need you to tell me everything you know about that matter for very important reasons." He coughed "I mean reason."

  
The robot swayed slightly back and forth. Elijah had seen this gesture before and he had an impression that it was his equivalent of taking a deep breath.

  
"I am only telling you this because it might aid your investigation and because apparently you refuse to believe what you are told."

  
The plainclothesman had no time to flounce at Daneel's words that sounded like a masked reprimand because what followed swept him off his feet.

  
"I am experiencing a dilemma similar to that you described, but with certain additional complications right now. I have been experiencing it since that evening on the spaceship."

  
Baley's word shrunk to a spot of bright morning light on the driveway on which they both stood. He felt like the blood in his veins froze. He did not control his own hand that moved slowly towards Daneel's and gently grasped his wrist.

  
"Am I hurting you?" He asked, surprised by how hard it was for him to force words through his cramped throat.

  
The robot looked somewhere above Elijah's shoulder and stated crisply:

  
"Friend Giskard has brought the airfoil from the garage. We need to go."

  
Elijah swallowed a curse and took a deep breath as he was approaching the vehicle. A decision was maturing in him. He straightened his back and walked with his chest proudly out.

  
No more hiding. No more evasive actions. The time for courage has come.

  
Baley paused at the door of the airfoil and said firmly, "Giskard, I do not wish the windows opacified. I do not wish to sit in the back. I want to sit in the front seat and observe the Outside."*

 

 

 

### Notes:

* the last paragraph is quoted from Asimov's "The Robots of Dawn"

### Chapter 13

 

 

 

 

 

 

This and following chapters are basically a palimpsest, based strictly on Asimov's "The Robots of Dawn." Nearly all dialogues are quotes from the original work. I did not put them in italics so as not to mess the text up, but I hope it is clear that I do not claim I am the author of the dialogues.

### Chapter Text

Giskard shared his focus equally between two humans engaged in a silent fight.  
Vasilia was obviously agitated, but at the same time her childhood friend sensed a spark of amusement. The woman had always found a kind of quaint enjoyment in cross-talk, especially when she had an opportunity to use clever mockery against a worthy opponent. Moreover he knew that when she was a child outbursts of anger never harmed her; she always recovered easily and felt appeased when she had let off steam. Reventlov easily discovered that even in adulthood she preserved this penchant for adrenaline rushes. The aggravation she was experiencing was nothing unusual for her.  
The Earthman, on the other hand, was on the verge of breaking down. A brief moment earlier Giskard sensed a strong peak of excitement when Baley succeeded in knocking his host off her loop, but it was swept by frustration and fear when Vasilia asked the plainclothesman to leave and in an instant he realized he had no authority to influence her decision.

"I'Im afraid I do not wish to." The man said with simulated self-confidence. His posture would fool anyone, but Giskard read a mixture of brainwaves that corresponded to the state when nearly whole consciousness is engaged in taming fear.

"I do not consult to your wishes, Earthman"

Giskard cogitated on all the factors carefully. Manipulating his Little Miss was something he was always most reluctant to do, but she would not be harmed by it and well-being of many more humans was at stake. Moreover Dr Fastolfe's order to protect the plainclothesman was extremely emphatic. This protection could be interpreted as protection against failure and its possible consequences to Fastolfe, Earthpeople and Baley himself. Reventlov had little choice. The situation required a slight adjustment. All Giskard did was to enhance Vasilia's curiosity a bit to re-balance the chances.

"You must, for how can you make me leave against my wishes?" Said Baley. His voice was surprisingly resonant. Giskard knew that the man had gone to far; that he had passed the threshold of panic that compels a human to run away. All he could do was to stand firm and fight. He was focused and deathly calm.

"I have robots who, at my request, will put you out politely but firmly and without hurting anything but your self-esteem-if you have any." Vasilia replied with a strain of playfulness, but her brainwaves revealed full alertness.

The robot took a quick glance at Elijah and concluded he would manage. As soon as Giskard's focus was restored to default settings he noticed that his humaniform companion was highly alarmed.

"Do not intervene unless you are asked or required to." He reminded via shortwave.

Humans in the room kept staring at each other with a mixture of awe and gall. To an inexpert observer their pretended cocksureness could be mistaking, but Giskard didn't even have use cerebroanalyzis to know that there was in fact a battle going on between them. A battle that led them to dangerous gambling and bidding on their robots.

From the moment humans resorted to threats Reventlov comprehended Olivaw's concern was not unfounded. Giskard decided to focus on Aliena's and Baley's muscle tension and motor brain cortex to be able to foresee their movements in case of an outburst of physical violence. He intended to emit an instruction to follow his example to Daneel. It was not necessary, though. The humaniform did the same.

"I cannot speak for Daneel, but I've known Giskard for most of my life." Vasilia sat back and crossed her arms. The robot sensed that her agitation was ebbing; being replaced by satisfaction. "I don't think he will do anything to keep me from summoning help and I imagine he will keep Daneel from interfering, too."

"Before you do anything, perhaps you might ask Giskard what he will do if you and I give conflicting orders." Baley's self-control was brought to the limit.

"Giskard?"

For the first time during this conversation Giskard's certainty was upset. He knew how important he was for Vasilia; how intense the pleasure she experienced in his company was. Rejecting her as his master would certainly result in extremely unpleasant sensations. On the other hand there was his order, which's importance the robot comprehended with clarity that was perhaps inaccessible even to the one who gave it. The choice was slippery. Inevitable immediate emotional harm to one human versus uncertain remote harm of unknown nature to many humans. Reventlov took his time to reflect on every factor once again and finally said with dismal confidence:

"Little Miss, I am compelled to protect Mr. Baley. He takes precedence."

As Reventlov expected Vasilia's mental state converted from satisfaction to shock and then to anger.

"Indeed? By whose order? By this Earthman's? This stranger's?"

The robot could tell the truth and mention the name of the man she hated. He could lie and suggest that a mere Earthman was proficient enough in managing robots to make them disobey her. Either answer would cause pain. Giskard was at an impasse. He chose to tell the truth.

"By Dr. Han Fastolfe's order."

Aliena's anger was slowly melting into chagrin and sadness: the only emotions she could not protect herself from. Giskard tried to dim them a bit, but it would require weakening her hatred towards her father - the main force that drove her and gave her strength to overcome obstacles. He had to wait it out with sharply distressing awareness that the woman was suffering.

"He's even taken you away." She said bitterly.

Suddenly Daneel took a step forward. His mental state Giskard could sense with unsettling limpidity had a strong component of unrest so acute that in certain aspects it resembled mental state of a human. It was not as complex as a real human emotion, but equally intense.

"If that is not enough, Dr. Vasilia," the humaniform said charily "I, too, would place Partner Elijah's welfare above yours."

Though this statement was puzzling, Reventlov concluded it was desirable. The robotocist was snapped from her bleak contemplation. She was still embittered and dejected, but with her scientist's acumen won. She was curious.

"Partner Elijah? Is that what you call him?"

"Yes, Dr. Vasilia. My choice in this matter-the Earthman over you-arises not only out of Dr. Fastolfe's instructions, but because the Earthman and I are partners in this investigation and because-" Daneel paused and blinked twice "-we are friends."

Giskard was fully focused on his former master; he hardly registered what Daneel said. Aliena's mind was in a state of a delicate balance. All she needed was a gentle nudge. Giskard could not allay her[ completely](http://poczta.o2.pl/?mail=2400c19f001f5d4555a945fd&id=2&o=0&view=inbox#95574499), but he could prompt her to fight on. Enhance her - admittedly a bit catty - curiosity and irritation to dim the sadness.

"Friends? An Earthman and a humaniform robot?" The woman found an opportunity to vent her anger in the way that worked the best for her - raillery. "Well, there is a match. Neither quite human." She snorted.  
  
The mind-reading robot focused on Baley in turn and was confounded to notice that the man's composedness was gone. So many threads raced in his mind that it took Giskard a moment to understand what was happening.

"Nevertheless bound by friendship. Do not, for your own sake, test the force of our... " Baley stammered. A single thought was starting to take shape and soon it became sharp and vivid, but still suppressed by the Earthman's convictions as if it was enclosed in a shell.

Giskard quickly comprehended that it was an idea most unwanted in current situation. Based on Fastolfe's and Baley's psyche he could calculate possible course of events with sufficient accuracy as long as the plainclothesman acted reasonably. This single idea opened a plethora of possibilities. It would render Baley's behavior unpredictable. It was something Reventlov had no experience with. He had no ready algorithms and basic data that would enable him to readjust to this situation.

The robot put all the force he could in reinforcing this shell of taboo in Baley's mind. He refrained from nothing that was not in direct contradiction with the First Law. Nonetheless Baley's determination was winning.

Giskard looked carefully at Elijah's face. Baley's lips moved when he was forming this word in his mouth silently, as if he was testing it, preparing it to be said aloud. The robot noticed the man's tongue brushing against his upper teeth, then his teeth skim his lower lip. The walls in his mind Giskard tried to hold came crumbling down. There was nothing more the robot could do.

"love." Baley finished.

### Chapter 14

 

 

 

The plainclothesman was grateful to years of experience with the weirdest types of people for the ability to remain calm and civil on the outside while being utterly shocked or disgusted on the inside. Admittedly, he had an impression that his utterances were somewhat chilly, but this foppish creature didn't seem to mind. Baley soon regretted promising Gremionis that his revelation will remain confidential, because the barber apparently found the interrogation an opportunity to spin a tale of his most intimate problems.

  
"Very well, then. It's nothing wrong-it's nothing I'm ashamed of, you understand. It's just that I have a strong sense of privacy and I have a right to that if I wish, don't I?" Gremionis twaddled with this annoying inability to construct and utter a sentence without stammering, changing his mind halfway and inconsequent intonation.

  
Baley swallowed a curse.

  
"Absolutely." He said instead.

  
"You see, I feel that social sex is best when there is a profound love and affection between partners."

  
Elijah had to put much effort into controlling his face and not letting his astonishment show. Although he had heard much about Auroran promiscuity, he would never expect that it was rooted so deeply that the idea of combining sex and affection was something embarrassing. A part of his mind prompted images and scenes from his conversations with Gladia.

  
"I imagine that's very true." Baley said a bit absent-mindedly. He couldn't help wondering if this self-centered buffoon had a faintest idea what love meant. The question if Gladia could know that and where she could learn that followed naturally. Was she really to be blamed for living among shallow egoists?

  
"And then there's no need for others, wouldn't you say?"

  
Baley smirked. He had his own opinion on that matter. Gremionis' certitude only confirmed that what he was talking about was just infatuation.

  
"It sounds plausible." He said conciliatory. There was no need to elaborate or to argue.

  
The Earthman couldn't help an impression that talking to Gladia and Santirix about love resembled talking to teenagers. They were just as one-dimensional and categorical as Bentley when he was going through 'this age'; hopelessly lost and absolutely positive they knew everything.

  
"I've always dreamed of finding the perfect partner and never seeking anyone else. They call it monogamy. It doesn't exist on Aurora, but on some worlds it does-and they have it on Earth don't they, Mr. Baley?"  
"In theory, Mr. Gremionis."

  
Though still disgusted by his effete deportment Elijah felt sincerely sorry for his host. Compassion for Gladia was a natural consequence. Elijah rubbed his chin pensively and immersed himself in ruminations. His answers to Gremionis' statements came automatically with little involvement of his consciousness - it was another ability he owed to his experience.

  
"It's what I want. I've looked for it for years. When I experimented with sex sometimes, I could tell something was missing."

Of course Gremionis did not find what he was looking for and neither did Gladia. The latter would rather blame the whole world than admitt that what was wrong was her.

  
How sophomoric did one have to be to mistake sexual satisfaction for love... At first Baley was indignant about Gladia's claim that abusing a helpless robot was in fact marriage, but he started to comprehend she knew no better. On a planet of shameless harlots a modest harlot had to consider herself a saint.

  
A flush crept into Baley's face when he remembered that what he hated Gladia for was dangerously close to what he himself wanted to do; perhaps that was why his reaction to her confession was so intense.

  
The man took a quick glance at Daneel, then lowered his head, suddenly subdued and embittered. Aurorans were so inane and reckless about sex; they stressed its contribution to well-being as if it was some kind of sport and ignored the emotional side of it and it were Aurorans who designed and constructed the humaniform.

  
On the other hand his partner seemed sincerely abashed when he mentioned that evening on the spaceship and never spoke about what followed. If Daneel shared this frivolous auroran attitude towards sex why was he so helpless and inhibited about what was happening between them... or just with the man?

  
Baley noticed that his host was visibly expecting him to say something, but caught himself not knowing what Gremionis had just said. He had to shake off. He had an investigation to run.

"Well, go on..." He said carefully, hoping it was the right answer.

  
Coming up with something that almost always fitted the situation without sounding awkward when he had zoned out was the third ability he owed to his experience.

  
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Kelden Amadiro observed images from security transmitters with excitement that was hard to restrain; it made him bite his lips and rub his hands together. He struggled to stay focused; he needed to spot every minute gesture, every flicker of Daneel's eyelid, every change in his posture.

  
From the first moment it was obvious that both robots had been ordered to protect the Earthman. The regular one that introduced himself as Giskard Reventlov performed his duty in quite a standard manner. He kept looking around, walked first when he expected danger from the front and let the human first when he expected danger from the back. The humaniform, however, displayed a variety of signs of uneasiness, from darting here and there to sticking to his protegee in a manner that was both protective and possessive, almost marital. The roboticist squinted and frowned in disbelief when he saw the robot place his hand flat on the Earthman's back or grab his elbow and pull him closer. These gestures were something Kelden had never seen; nor had he met a man who would allow for this kind of intimacy with a robot.

  
Being the head of Robotic Institute, Amadiro would never stoop to getting excited about hyperwave dramas, but he often overheard his junior employees talk about the one about Baley and his accomplishment on Solaria. Especially women seemed enthralled by the thread of Elijah's and Daneel's friendship. Master Roboticist always sniffed at these stories. He hated the way the actor portraying Daneel strove to behave 'robotically', but enacted fear, sadness, concern and relief with almost animalistic humaneness. Kelden was positive there was no way a humaniform could mimic affection to such an extent that a human would be fooled and 'reciprocate' this 'feeling'. They could be humane enough to deal with everyday situations and social interactions, but not relationships.

  
When he was examining the younger humaniform, Jander Pannell, Kelden found his assumptions correct. Jander could tell him exactly what he did to please his temporary owner and Amadiro learned it was little. That foreign woman may have taken it at face value, but Jander's abilities were in fact quite primitive.

  
This one, on the other hand...

  
Amadiro had to stand up and walk back and forth his office a few times to calm down. This one was perfect.  
A non-professional, even quite an insightful one would have sworn that this humaniform really did feel a kind of affection for his human.

  
Amadiro couldn't wait to meet this marvelous creature. He approached the door, intending to meet his guests halfway.

  
"Ah, it is Mr. Baley, the famous investigator from Earth, who has come to our little planet to show that I am a dreadful villain." He said with affected courtesy, paying little affection to the plainclothesman. He often experienced an unrestrained urge to babble when he was excited, but luckily he was eloquent enough not to sound foolish. "Come in, come in. You are welcome. I am sorry if my able aide, Roboticist Maloon Cicis, gave you the impression that I would be unavailable, but he is a cautious fellow and is a great deal more concerned about my time than I myself am."

  
"I take it you are Master Roboticist Kelden Amadiro?" The Earthman asked bashfully. Amadiro had already patted Baley's shoulder when he realized that he was treating him like a child under his feet.

  
It was how he felt. The Earthman was bound to loose; he was no opponent in fact. Ignoring him seemed natural. The real challenge was to wring out as much as he could from this humaniform.

  
"Exactly. Exactly. The man who intends to destroy Dr. Han Fastolfe as a political force upon this planet-but that, as I hope to persuade you, does not really make me a villain." Amadiro babbled on, hardly restraining his urge to stare at the robot, to approach him and start testing him on the spot. "After all, I am not trying to prove that it is Fastolfe who is a villain simply because of the foolish vandalism he committed on the structure of his own creation, poor Jander. Let us say only that I will demonstrate that Fastolfe is mistaken."

  
Everything was perfect about him. Even the heat radiating from his body Amadiro felt as Daneel walked past him. There was even this trail of light, delicate hair on the back of his neck and these crescents of smoother, thinner skin under his eyes.

  
The robot looked at him; their gazes met. Olivaw's eyes widened for an instant and Amadiro had an impression that the muscles of robot's neck and shoulders tensed up, even though he knew perfectly well there were no muscles. Amadiro was a roboticist, but he was a human as well; his human instincts kicked in. When he saw fear flash through Daneel's face; fear that was soon replaced by dignified disrelish he couldn't help thinking of the robot as a person, not an object. This silly impression soon faded and the Master Roboticist saw nothing but a prodigious product of Fastolfe's and Sarton's genius.  
  
Suddenly the humaniform moved. He placed his hand on Elijah's nape in a gesture well known to any man who has ever claimed someone for himself. Baley turned to his partner and Olivaw returned his glance with a hint of a soft smile; Elijah's gaze lingered on Daneel's face for a moment, but Olivaw turned to Kelden again. His look was firm and piercing.

  
Amadiro was awestruck; his breath quickened, he felt a wave of feverish heat suffuse his neck and cheeks.  Before he opacified the windows the Master Roboticist noticed the sky was getting dark and purplish in tint. A distant thunder resounded. A wild plan began to take shape in his head.

### Chapter 15

 

 

 

 

 

 

### (See the end of the chapter for notes)

Olivaw strengthened his grip on Elijah's arms; he didn't want to physically restrain him, just let him know he was not going to let go.

To his relief Baley did not fight back. Even though Daneel was convinced that preventing the Earthman from giving up would in the end be beneficial for him and Dr. Fastolfe he was not certain whether he would be able to force Baley into the storm if he refused to leave the canopied driveway.

"Partner Elijah, it is a thunderstorm." He said calmly. "It is a normal natural phenomenon. It happens very often here and nobody was ever harmed by weather."

Elijah's breath steadied, but underneath his fingers Daneel felt Baley's muscles shiver.

"I know that" the man whispered; taking a small step back. When his shoulders touched Daneel's chest a small grain of consolation appeared in his brainwaves, but it was annihilated by the next thunderbolt. His muscles tensed up again.

"I can't go out in that." Baley said in an alarmingly plain, emotionless voice.  
  
Daneel closed his eyes. His disstress was reaching a level when the urge to give up and agree on waiting the storm out almost balanced the decision not to. The humaniform could not only sense Baley's suffering through his cerebroanalytical circuits; he physically felt it in the way Elijah quaked and the way his skin suddenly became ice-cold.

Baley turned around and looked into the night above Olivaw's shoulder, then he fixed his eyes on Daneel's. His gaze was so intense as if it was the only thread that bound him to reality; as if he feared that if he broke this contact he would be carried away by the wind.

Baley's panic was slowly ebbing. After a while it surceased enough for the man to focus again. He squinted, turned his head slightly and looked at his partner a bit suspiciously. The man opened his mouth to speak, hesitated for a while and suddenly he was snatched from this state as if a sudden realization made him forget everything else.

"Arnadiro delayed me deliberately. He desisted only at the sound of the storm. That was what he was waiting for!"

The humaniform smiled faintly and nodded.

"If the storm now keeps you here, that may be what Amadiro was waiting for." Daneel took a half turn to let Baley through, still embracing him.

Baley did not move. Now that this last bareer that separated him from the storm - Daneel's body - was gone, he went pale and winced as if he wanted to run away again, but this time Daneel's firm grip didn't let him draw back for an inch.

"You once said you were a tough cookie." The humaniform began. "As far as I understand this terrestrial idiom the behavior you are displaying right now does not fit this term."

"You are being too clever..." Baley murmured with exasperation fueled by his fear. Daneel was seemingly unruffled.

"How do you intend to colonize new planets if a mere thunderstorm immobilizes you?"

Elijah looked at his partner with resentment and anguish. Making Baley aware of how his weakness could impede pursuing his dream was one of the worst wrongdoings and the potential of expected future gain barely sufficed to overcome the First Law. As usually it resulted in intense distress to Daneel, but it had to be done. The humaniform felt a painful flash-over in his brain.

Thankfully Elijah understood. He clenched his fists and said with grim calmness:

"You are right. I must leave somehow."

He took a step forward and immediately Daneel felt pressure of Baley's back on his arm, but he did not yield. He gave his partner physical reassurance and support, but at the same time he made sure Baley understood Daneel would not let him take even a single step back.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Giskard was driving carefully, trying to spot first signs of damage of the airfoil. If all his calculations were correct, the vehicle should break somewhere halfway between Robotic Institute and Fastolfe's mansion, but it didn't. Either Amadiro's robots were worse mechanics than Revntlov or his calculations were too optimistic.

For a moment he devoted a part of his computing power and short-term memory to recapitulate past hours. Until a standard hour earlier events followed exactly as he had expected. The terrestrial plainclothesman managed to figure out that Kelden Amadiro played an important role in the case, he managed even to convince Master Roboticist to meet him.

Direct contact with the roboticist and a brief insight in his mind only confirmed the picture of him Giskard had constructed based on his actions and statements. He was audacious, self-confident and self-centered. These traits made him difficult to cope with for humans, but practically defenseless for a robot. He was prone to bold, but ill-conceived actions. Those who were not intimidated by his behavior and physique - and Reventlov certainly wasn't - could foresee his actions and manipulate him easily.

  
In a way that was what Giskard did. The robot didn't even have to influence Amadiro's mind. He simply arranged a trap. Daneel was the bait.

The storm was a most fortunate coincidence. For the roboticist it provided a sudden opportunity, but left him with little time to think his plan through. For the robot, whose reasoning was incomparably faster the storm was a factor he had more than enough time to incorporate into his plan.

Giskard was 97% certain that Amadiro would not let this chance slip, however tragic the consequences could be. Not when he had a perfect smoke screen provided by nature. Not when he was presented with what he wanted. Not when the first humaniform robot that Amadiro craved was ushered into his office.

Kelden's reaction confirmed his intents. It was so intense that even Daneel read it quite spontaneously, even though he was not focused on cerebroanalytical circuits and his sensitivity and definition were orders of magnitude lower than Giskard's. For a moment all processes in Amadiro's mind came to a halt. A single sharp peak appeared. Then it all burst into chaos of intense beta waves. He started to plot his plan in haste, omitting many important factors. Giskard gained certainty that Amadiro was bound to disaster.

That was why he felt slight distress when the airfoil didn't show any signs of failure. They were almost at their destination and the vehicle was still operative.

Finally he felt it. A slight asymmetry in the way the steering panel responded to his touch.

  
"The vehicle is not reacting properly." He stated.

"Can it be storm damage, friend Giskard?" Daneel asked in normal speech. Apparently he wanted the Earthman to hear this conversation.

Revealing the real nature of the situation brought about the risk that Baley would undertake precipitate actions, but if Giskard wanted him to solve the case, he had to provide sufficient amount of information. He answered in sound waves and decided to tell the truth.

"It does not have the feel of that, friend Daneel. Nor does it seem likely that this machine would suffer from this kind of damage in this or any other storm."

Baley gathered his thoughts slowly. He was severely affected by the storm. "Damage?" he muttered. "What kind of damage?"

"I should judge the compressor to be leaking, sir, but slowly. It's not the result of an ordinary puncture. Deliberate damage, perhaps."

Giskard read a sharp peak of panic, but in an instant Baley managed to calm down, or at least start to think logically. He required a few additional pieces of information, but he finally came to the conclusion the robot had expected; to the conclusion that Amadiro was ready to risk his reputation and damage their airfoil in order to get what he wanted.

"But why should he do that?" Daneel asked with sincere concern.  "To get you? In a way, he already had you."

"Amadiro doesn't want me. No one wants me. The danger is to you, Daneel."

Giskard experienced intense satisfaction. Baley comprehended. Game was over.

But then something unforeseen happened. The robot expected that the plainclothesman would be excited to solve the case and eager to gather one last piece of evidence against Amadiro. The man had really shot himself in the foot with his hastily improvised plan to obtain a humaniform. Reventlov knew exactly what would follow. Master Roboticist would have his robots drive Baley, Daneel and Giskard back to the Institute, then separate them and start testing the humaniform. Having only one night to winkle out everything he failed to learn from Jander and knowing nothing about the strain Daneel had been under as well as some contradicting statements Giskard had planted in his friend's brain just in case Amadiro would act in a rush, incompetently and fatuously. The scientist would most probably render Daneel non-operational or at least severely damaged. Too late would he realize that using storm and airfoil malfunction as a pretext to put his hands on the humaniform was unconvincing and he would certainly be unable to come up with a plausible explanation of Daneel's destruction.

The robot read that Baley comprehended it all as well, though his understanding of the situation was not as clear as Giskard's. In the first place Baley didn't intend to draw Amadiro into the trap. He was thinking of a way to save Daneel...

With an intention to intervene Reventlov turned to his passengers, but what he saw and sensed stunned him. The Earthman was looking at Daneel pleadingly, whispering assurances with passion. Daneel's eyes expressed fear and pain of intensity Giskard would never expect to witness in a robot.

He started to recalculate odds quickly. His carefully laid plan seemed to have no weak points, but Giskard realized that in fact he had omitted one possibility. A possibility of negligible probability that yet came true.

An alarming awareness disrupted his reflections. First Law's potential was becoming stronger every second, rendering all his calculations inappreciable. A wave of basic, simple urge was taking over his brain. The more he focused on reading Baley's mind the more intense it was.

Elijah cupped Daneel's face with one hand and grabbed his nape with the other.  
  
"Please...Please, go!" he whispered fervently and with the same passion the humaniform kept answering:

"No. I can't. I won't."

Baley closed his eyes, leaned forward and brought his lips close to his partner's as if he wanted to stifle this refusal with a kiss.  
  
"Daneel, please..."

The humaniform turned to Giskard; Baley leaned even more to put his head on Daneel's shoulder; the robot embraced it and absently laced his fingers into Elijah's hair.

"Can I leave him when he is unwell, friend Giskard?"

Reventlov had to accept what he had refused to take into consideration. He felt Baley's torment with intensity and clarity that left no doubt. Losing Jander left Gladia disappointed, a bit subdued and bored, but not really suffering. Losing Daneel and blaming himself for Daneel's demise would leave Elijah broken. Even when weighed against expected future harm it was something First Law could not allow. Giskard gave up.

"You cannot take him out into the storm with you, friend Daneel. Moreover, he seems so anxious for you to leave that it may do him harm for you to stay. You have to be ready to do as Mr. Baley orders. I, too."

 

 

 

### Notes:

I know Elijah's reasoned the other way round in the book (on what would happen if Amadiro succeeded) but I decided to manipulate this part a bit for two reasons. Firstly, this part of the original doesn't convince me. Secondly, this way it is much more dramatic and slashy :)

### Chapter 16

 

 

 

Daneel skimmed the smooth, cold windowpane, tracing the trails that raindrops formed on the other side with his finger. Though the sheet seemed so thin that he had an impression he really touched the water he knew it was so tough he would probably not manage to break it. Besides, there would be no use of it. The robots that guarded him had received emphatic orders and seemed robust, perhaps even somewhat hostile in their determination not to let Olivaw exit the room he was held in.

  
Trying to predict patterns of glistening trails the raindrops left on the windowpane and the way they merged into bigger streams hardly kept his mind off this alarming fact.

  
The robot kept trying to follow Elijah's reasoning that led to having Giskard leave the Earthman alone in a broken arfoil during thunderstorm. Even though he managed to fill a few gaps in data he possessed with what he inferred from Amadiro's and Baley's behavior, it still didn't hold.

  
Daneel didn't question Elijah's statement that he was in danger. From the very beginning he provided for this possibility. Whatever caused Jander's end could happen to him as well. He questioned the reasoning that led to a conclusion that Elijah would not come to harm.

  
Nonetheless there was little Olivaw could do. For a moment he wondered if he could make use of the fact that Gladia had murdered her husband. Revealing it could make her home robots disobey her order if he somehow managed to convince them that the lady of the house posed a threat to Baley. However, informing her home robots that their mistress was a dangerous murderess was something that would certainly please neither Baley nor Dr. Fastolfe and perhaps ruin their plan. Revealing the fact that an influential scientist had brought a felon to his homeland would certainly jeopardize Fastolfe's position and render the whole investigation of Jander's case irrelevant. Daneel knew too well what was at stake.

  
Colonization of new planets. Elijah's dream.

  
Though the vision itself did not appeal to the robot, he remembered the passion with which the man spoke about his plans.

  
There is no harm in dying in pursuit of one's dreams.

  
The thought that Elijah's words could actually come true sent a painful jolt through the robot's brain and down his spine, to where some tertiary executive units extended. He shook his head and was puzzled to notice that his hand was now clenched into a fist.

  
Once again he tried to straighten up all scenarios he had managed to come up with. Of course there was one that predicted that Baley would be brought back safely to Gladia's mansion and remain there unharmed. He lacked the data required to calculate probability of this scenario coming true.

  
For an moment he wondered what it would be like to have this human ability to ignore the lack of data and consider something unlikely to be true. An ability called hope.

  
He didn't have it. All he had was this alarming awareness that Elijah was in danger.

  
A faint whiz cut through howling wind and Daneel saw Gladia's arfoil reach the driveway. For an instant all processes in his brain except some basic maintenance algorithms came to a standstill. Giskard got out of the vehicle and opened the rear door, lingered there and after a while Daneel saw Elijah in his arms; weak and half-conscious, but alive.

  
He even had some strength to try to struggle free from Giskard's embrace.

  
Olivaw felt confused again. Baley was safe, but it didn't end Daneel's distress. With little input of his consciousness his hand moved to the window again and tipped the cold, smooth surface just where the robot saw Elijah's head and arms on the other side.

  
He wanted to be the one to hold Baley, to comb wet hair off his forehead, to nestle the man against his chest.

  
There might have been some of the First Law in this urge. Daneel remembered how Elijah tried to move away from Giskard's cool surface and cuddle to the humaniform when it got cold before the storm. Now that the Earthman was frozen stiff this difference between Giskard's metallic surface and Daneel's warm skin would certainly matter.

  
Still, there was much more.

  
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

  
Gladia was striving to seem amiable on the outside; internally she was furious. Damned robots.

  
Firstly it was this Daneel - the only thing on Baley's mind. The man was yet half-conscious when he made the first attempt to inquire about his safety and kept asking again and again untill Gladia's flounce signaled that he was being rude.

  
"How did you find me, Gladia?" The plainclothesman finally decided to change the subject.

  
The lady of the house briefly told the story, making a point of ridiculing Daneel's and Elijah's concern about each other. Though she realized she had to try to sound friendly that was one little poignancy she couldn't deny herself.

  
Baley rose his head to look her in the eyes despite his weariness. "You should not have come along, Gladia."

  
The woman smiled triumphantly. After all Baley did display a grain of thought for her. The smile vanished trom her face when Elijah finished:

  
"Your place was here, making sure Daneel was safe."

  
Oh, for Space's sake!

  
Then this Giskard. The lady of the house had barely managed to make use of Baley's fixation on Daneel by suggesting that she admired the Earthman's petty act of heroism when that primitive footboy waded in with his suggestion that it was in fact unnecessary and silly.

  
Baley's attitude was not making things easier either. At first she thought that bringing the man to her mansion was a blessing; an opportunity to lay her hands on him when he was helpless and in need; to prove that any man can be seduced; to wipe out the memory of what she had seen the previous day between him and Daneel once and for all. The Earthman seemed pleased and more than willing when Gladia was assisting his washing, drying and treatment, but then...

  
As soon as Elijah fully regained consciousness and felt better he spurned her again. He even had the audacity to chide Giskard for bringing him to her mansion and not Fastolfe's. And he did it in her presence!

  
The Spacer woman sighed and decided to execute her plan despite Giskard's most unwanted interruption and Baley's noticeable weariness. She still had three more aces up her sleeve. One of the methods of winning a man was so silly that at first she didn't even think she would resort to it, but in the end it came out pretty well.

  
The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

  
Gladia was giggling quietly at the absurdity of this situation, but it worked. As soon as a plate of hot chicken soup was placed in front of Baley, the man became much more amiable and less grumpy.

  
Two more aces.

### Chapter 17

 

 

 

Calculating prime numbers was a way to divert his attention much better than tracing raindrops on the windowpane. Olivaw was, however, perturbed to a point at which every part of his brain needed fuel. Motor circuits as well. He'd found a small metal cylinder on the floor - a part of the cot most probably - and maneuvered it in his fingers with agility that would certainly be breathtaking for a human, but there was no human around. The only being that accompanied Olivaw immediately spotted that these manipulations were in fact quite clumsy for a robot.

  
"Friend Daneel, I assure you that mister Baley is in no danger now." Giskard said with emphasis. "Accept this guarantee. Otherwise I am afraid that this distress you are experiencing may damage you."

  
"Did you make sure he was safe and well before you left him with miss Gladia?"

  
The cylinder fell out of Daneel's hand; he barely caught it before it hit the floor.

  
"He was being treated when I last saw him. I am sure miss Gladia and her home robots will take proper care of him. May I remind you that there are no infective microorganisms here on Aurora so mister Baley cannot fall ill."

  
"Yes, but was he in a state that would allow him to defend himself?"

  
Red glow of Giskard's eyes dimmed for a second, then went back to its normal intensity.

  
"Friend Daneel, I have an impression that your concern is not entirely based on factual premises."

  
The humaniform didn't answer. He stood up, approached the window and stared into the night for a while.

  
"The storm is almost over." He stated detatchedly. The significance of this statement escaped Giskard.

  
"May I suggest that you perform a self-assesment procedure? Your movements are uncoordinated and I am afraid you display a high level of..." Giskard stopped for a while, then continued in the same unemotional, blank voice "nonstandard reactions."

  
Daneel looked at his friend and finally stopped playing with the cylinder. Glowing red eyes traced the humaniform attentively as he was sitting down on the cot again.

  
"Friend Giskard..." Olivaw began quietly, apparently not intending to address Reventlov's idea. "Is it your opinion that there are ideas and concepts that we, as robots, are not supposed to comprehend?"

  
"That being...?" The older robot rose his chin a bit.

  
The humaniform fixed his eyes on the wall ahead of him and started to form words slowly, as if he was trying to speak a foreign language.

  
"It's a kind of madness, except that I think it's the best kind of insanity. I'd be mad not to have that kind of madness." After a while he added blankly: "I believe I can relate to what Mr Gremionis said. This awareness is" he searched his memory bank for a proper word "troublesome."

  
Giskard became almost immobile. Even though his plan did not assume that Daneel would survive to that point and thus his proper functioning did not matter in any way, Reventlov felt faintly disquieted by the idea that his companion could in fact malfunction.

  
"What is this insanity you are talking about?" He asked carefully.

  
"My attitude towards partner Elijah. I have no reason to challenge your claim that he is physically safe. What disturbs me is the fact that I am not by his side."

  
The older robot took his time to give his opinion. He knew Daneel's purpose and he understood that - unlike other robots - his friend would develop, which meant that his patterns of behavior and responses would change based on his experience without external reprogramming. Nonetheless he had not expected that this process would be so complex. There were moments when despite his ability to sense positonic pathways of another robot he did not fully comprehend what was going on with Olivaw.

  
"I suggest that you talk to Dr. Fastolfe about your doubt. If he finds it necessary he may reprogram you and restore your full functionality."

  
The very moment Fastolfe's name resounded, Daneel's lower eyelids flickered slightly. Giskard sensed his mental state that was disturbingly similar to human fear.

  
"Your functioning must be severely derailed if you are not urged to seek help with your maker by the Third Law." Reventlov stated with no sign of either compassion or reproach.

  
"The Third Law is not clear." Daneel responded immediately. "It does not define existence. I cannot settle whether it is the aspect of being able to do my duty or the aspect of feeling I am a certain unique being. I do not know which part of me constitutes my identity and ensures continuity of my existence."

  
Giskard's eyes slowly faded and turned almost black; he immersed in careful introspection.

  
"This doubt has never occurred to me. I define existence by physical integrity and brain functionality. That is all."

  
Finally Olivaw moved. He leaned back a bit and placed his hands on the mattress behind his back, then he looked up into the ceiling.

  
"When I told partner Elijah that offenders on Aurora are sentenced to psychic-probing followed by the construction of a new personality" he began in oddly sad voice "I sensed revulsion and fear in his reaction. Why do you think it was so?"

  
Metallic surface of Giskard's head gleamed in the dim light of a glowing wall as he shook it slowly.

  
"Why?" Olivaw repeated pressingly.

"I do not know that, friend Daneel." 

"I know." The humaniform straightened up again. "Back then I was unable to follow Elijah's reasoning, but I seem to have gained the ability to understand this phenomenon by now. It was because a person whose personality is altered ceases to exist and a new person is created. It is, in fact, death sentence."

  
"Why did you advert to psychic-probing now?"

  
"Because that is what reprogramming seems to me. It is a procedure I would be most reluctant to undergo. In a way..." Daneel looked at his own palms with a peculiar wistfulness. "I am convinced that if I was altered beyond a certain point it would be equivalent to..." he turned his head slowly to look his friend in the eyes "partner Elijah would use the word 'death'".

  
The metal robot moved a bit closer to the humaniform. Again he had to weigh all factors carefully before he was able to give his opinion. This time it was even more difficult. Apart from logical complications there was a reflexive reaction that disrupted Giskard's reasoning.

  
At first he thought it was an echo of the First Law that could kick in if Daneel's reaction and mental states were too similar to those of a human, but it was not. First Law was a rule superordinate to anything else, overwhelming and irresistible. What Giskard discovered in himself was a tendency of an utterly different kind. It seemed to be insignificant and revealed itself only in a form of obscure inquietude.

  
Death.

  
This word has been used in his presence to describe what happened to Jander once too often. It was a point of view he coundn't agree with.

  
"I do not think 'death' is a word that can be used concerning a robot. Nor are 'insanity' or 'love'."

  
Daneel kept looking at him expectantly.

  
"They make things easier, do they not?"

  
Giskard's inquietude intensified.

  
He tried to mitigate it by reasoning that what he had done was the only safe option. Robot's functionality was nothing weighed against well-being of a human, not to mention prosperity of a whole nation.

  
And yet the memory of Jander's last moments, of how his eyes unfocused, of the way his fingers crooked violently and then became limp flashed in Giskard's mind with disturbing clarity.

  
"No, friend Daneel. They do not." He said in an oddly bland voice.

### Chapter 18

 

 

 

  
"You can find out the truth. And you can make people listen to you."

  
Gladia made sure the way she looked at Baley expressed admiration and reliance.

  
"You have a touching faith in me, Gladia. Still, if the Auroran World Legislature wants to send me back and orders the investigation ended, there's nothing I'm going to be able to do about it."

  
Baley lowered his head. As the woman spoke with fascination and ardor her voice was enough to make him look at her again.

  
"Surely you won't be willing to go back with nothing accomplished." She embellished this statement with a pleading smile.

  
At first she thought vanity was a flaw that stained only Spcaer men and was strictly related to pronounced individualism, but the Earthman showed it too. Perhaps it was his life in anonymous crowd that turned his need of recognition into an almost brute craving or perhaps every trait that was kept in check and refined in Spacers was rough and intense in Earthpeople. She did not try to judge it. What she wanted was Baley and it sufficed that she finally hit the spot.

  
"Of course I won't. It's worse than just accomplishing nothing, Gladia. I'll go back with my career ruined and with Earth's future destroyed."

  
"Then don't let them do that, Elijah."

  
She knew it was a silly request, but she also knew that men preferred women who were not particularly bright.

  
"Jehoshaphat, Gladia!" The man exclaimed and hit the table with his fist. Gadia was sincerely intimidated for a moment. After all she played with fire. Sudden realization that who she had before her was in fact a man - a real, wild, untamed, physically strong man - fueled her desire.

  
"I'm going to try not to, but I can't lift a planet with my bare hands. " Baley continued with exasperation, blind to Gladia's enthrallment. "You can't ask me for miracles."

  
Elijah's outburst was a bit unexpected, but it only let the next part of her plan follow more naturally.

  
This little sting of fear she had experienced made her tears flow more easily. From the moment Baley stood up and approached her, abashed and floopy, she knew she was on the right track.

  
His touch was cold, official and modest at first; then it became more sensual and bold.

  
"It isn't fair. It's because I'm a Solarian. No one really cares what happened to Jander and they would if I were an Auroran. It just boils down to prejudice and politics." This wail was a finishing touch to her opus magnum.

  
She won.

  
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Gladia thought it would be almost like nothing had happened. Jander's body had been taken away earlier that day but an unbelievable coincidence brought his twin right to her mansion that very evening. It felt only natural that she ordered her robots to keep Daneel confined in Pannell's quarters.

  
Nonetheless when she approached the door Gladia was far from calm. She was still shivering with desire that was awakened and not quenched, yet she was becoming more and more aware of her uneasiness. Her womanhood throbbed with thirst. Her guts were cramped with fear. Her throat burned with unshed tears.

  
She had tried and she failed. Elijah's body was willing. In fact it was easy to command; it followed her orders readily, but that was the end of it. Elijah's mind, though clouded and weary, remained indifferent. Not even unwilling. It was absolutely impervious. He looked at her as if she was not there. Accepted her caresses and her body, but nothing else. He just stroked her hip absent-mindedly like a master stroking a pet. He smiled with gratitude just the way a well-behaved person would smile to thank a robot for bringing a dish. It brought her to the verge of despair. There was only one way in which she could redeem her hurt pride. Only one trophy to win.

  
"Giskard, out!" She ordered dryly. The robot obeyed with a servile bow. The other stood up and gave her a quick glance.  
Her own robots stayed outside unobtrusively. She let the door close behind her back and pulled the tails of her robe apart.  
"Look at me." she said quietly. Daneel had no choice but to obey.

  
"What do you see?" Gladia came closer and let the smooth silk slip from her arms, back and hips.

  
"You."

  
She bit her lips and lifted her head with a flounce.

  
"Don't stop looking at me!" She hissed when Daneel turned away to look at the wall, then she made these few steps that separated her from the robot. She felt warmth emanating from his body; her nipples brushed against his chest covered only by thin layer of Jander's old textron shirt.

  
Her hands wrapped around Daneel's waist and caressed his back.

  
Everything was the same - the height, figure, color of his eyes. Olivaw even smelled the same. And still he was so different. Instead of Jander's meek submissiveness she clashed with a wall of dignified defiance.

  
That was a challenge. To make this creature yield.

  
"Hold me" she ordered quietly, but firmly "caress my nipple with your tongue and mouth. Keep looking me in the eyes."  
The robot reluctantly stepped a bit aside to be able to perform this order. She brought her hand to her mouth and left a droplet of saliva on her finger, then she let it drip down onto her nipple and Daneel's tongue.

  
His touch was pleasant; he knew human anatomy and physiology and apparently had no interest in pretending it was otherwise. The way he caressed her was perfect. It was his gaze that troubled her.

  
It lacked the anxiety and woe she had seen in his eyes the first time she had him. This time it expressed compassion mixed with slight disdain.

  
Gladia grabbed Daneel's jaw and pulled his head up to make his eyes level with hers.

  
"You are hurting me with your attitude, robot. I want you to be more passionate."

  
He blinked slowly.

  
"Kiss me!" She ordered.

  
The kiss was indeed passionate. Gladia gasped for air and moaned, feeling the tip of Daneel's tongue skim the roof of her mouth and then his teeth gently nip her upper lip. Without her order the robot placed his hand on the back of her head, laced his finger with her hair and pulled it delicately to expose her neck, then he kissed and sucked the place between her jawbone and ear. The pleasure was overwhelming, but when Gladia heard Daneel's uncaring question a pang of pain pierced her throat.

  
"Is that passionate enough?"

  
She moved away and grabbed the robot's face.

  
"I want you to make me believe you love me. I want you to look at me the way you look at Elijah."

  
Daneel lowered his gaze as if he was pondering on the answer. When he finally came to a solution, his face brightened up with a faintest smile that was not intended for Gladia. 

  
"I am afraid that's impossible."

  
"Why? He is a human, just like me."

  
"He is an exceptional human for me."

  
Gladia stifled a furious howl.

  
"You control your body perfectly. You can fake every emotion you are required to."

  
"That is correct. I can pretend. Do you really want affection that is fake?"

  
She gasped for air and petrified. That was enough. For a moment she wanted to becall the robot with the worst insults known to her but it made no sense. Daneel's indifference could only accentuate her helplessness.

  
She grabbed her robe and stormed out of the room. Her home robots followed her respectfully, driven by the First Law that urged them to help their distressed mistress.

 

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

 

Reventlov and Olivaw stood there for a while in nonplus, staring at each other through the open door. Red glow of Giskard's eyes dimmed for a second, then went back to its normal intensity.

  
"Eastern wing, third door to the left." Giskard emitted on short waves.

Daneel turned his head slightly, a bit puzzled. 

Reventlov did not explain. He took a half turn to stand with his back against a wall as usually when he awaited orders or was not needed. His eyes faded to black. 

### Chapter 19

 

 

 

 

A few glasses of light, sweet wine and a massage almost managed to alleviate her. Though still subdued and embittered, she finally felt drowsy. Gladia ordered her robots to leave her alone. On the way to her bedroom she decided too see Baley one more time.

  
As soon as the door to his bedroom opened all her calm was gone.

  
Daneel was sitting on the floor next to Baley's bedhead, embracing the man's head with one hand and gently stroking his chest with the other. Elijah's fingers were loosely wrapped around Daneel's forearm and wrist; he breathed steadily and and smiled easefully in a dream.

  
The robot quickly turned his head to look at the lady of the house, but there was no uneasiness in his gaze.

  
Gladia felt a fit of fury.

  
"Out!" She mouthed with a wry face. "I'm not done with you yet!"

  
She was faintly aware how her furious voiceless exclamation contrasted with Daneel's tranquility; it only embittered her even more.

  
The humaniform tried to stand up slowly, but momentarily Elijah's fingers closed on his hand and a slight uneasy moan escaped the man's lips.

  
Gladia felt a burning lump in her throat. An hour earlier when she was leaving his side Baley did not try to stop her.

  
Daneel leaned over Baley's face and whispered softly to his ear; a slight serene smile appeared on Elijah's face again. The man relaxed; his partner was finally able to disentangle himself from his embrace. Before leaving Daneel gave Elijah one last loving glance; in the dim, diffuse glow that flooded the room his chiseled face beamed with unearthly beauty that caused a pang of pain in Gladia's chest.

  
The robot approached Gladia slowly with his back straightened up and with a detached, tranquil expression frozen on his face. The spark that vivified his face was gone. Once again all Gladia saw was a cold, emotionless sculpture.

  
"What is that you wish?" He asked the woman calmly after the door to Baley's bedroom closed behind his back and they stood facing each other in brightly lit corridor.

  
"Why did you come here? What do you want?" Gladia hissed; her voice was somewhat jerky.

  
"I felt an urge to make sure partner Elijah is safe and well."

  
"Liar!" Gladia choked back a yell. "Then why did you stay? Why did you just..." she stammered "just sit by his side?"

  
"Because my presence seemed to alleviate partner Elijah and because it brings us both pleasure."

  
"Just like that?!" Gladia wailed in disbelief.

  
Her voice quavered and in no time Gladia burst into tears. Reflexively she clung to Daneel's wide chest, whimpering and sobbing. Unexpectedly the robot did the only thing she really wanted. At first his movement was slow and tentative, but in the end he wrapped his arms around her in a protective gesture. After a while one of his hands moved to her head; stroked her slowly.

Her chest trembled. Finally she was able to take a deeper, though still jerky breath and ask woefully:  
"I don't understand. Why? You... even you, you damned tin monster..."

  
In a fit of pique she tried to jerk back, but Daneel's strong arms held her tight. She struggled for a while; it exhausted her strength and her anger. All that was left was misery and defeat.

  
When she finally came down the robot gently led her to the sitting room and maneuvered her to sit on a recliner. Daneel sat down next to her and after an instant of hesitation he put his arm around her, nestling her head to his shoulder. She gave in meekly.

  
"Miss Gladia, I am sorry that you are tormented, but I must emphasize that you brought harm upon yourself."

  
A few more sobs escaped her mouth, then she said resignedly:

  
"Why? What's wrong with me?" and without waiting for Daneel's response she started to wail "First my husband who found me repulsive. Then all those Auroran men who only wanted me because I was exotic. Then Jander... and you... And Elijah. He looked at me as if I wasn't there. You looked at me as if I was insane."

  
When she mentioned Baley's name Gladia felt Daneel's hand on her shoulder budge slightly. She knew what it meant.

  
"Yes!" she turned to face the robot and shouted right in his face "we made love tonight. No. I screwed him. We did not make love. He rejected me. We screwed like savages and still he somehow rejected me." Her voice cracked; she started to wail again. "Why does nobody really, really want me..."

  
Daneel cupped her face gingerly and made her look him in the eyes. His steady gaze was somehow soothing.

  
"I am not proficient at human emotions, but as far as I understand love is something one has to earn..."

  
She went pale and narrowed her lips.

  
"I am only saying this because I believe it may help you." The robot continued and let go of her. The place where his warm, large palm had touched her skin suddenly felt cold and empty.

  
Gladia swallowed her tears. A vivid blush crept onto her face; she lowered her head in embarrassment.

  
"Why do you try to help me?" she asked timidly "I have hurt you. How can you forgive me so easily?"

  
"I am incapable of bearing grudge and thus I am also incapable of true forgiveness. It has little meaning, though, because..."Daneel stopped to consider what he intended to say "I have an impression that if I could chose whether to hold grudge or not I would chose to forgive you."

  
The woman tried to pat her cheeks dry but a new wave of grief made her eyes fill up with tears.

  
"This is so unrobotic..." she managed to mutter through cramped throat.

  
"Someone once showed me the power of forgiveness."

  
Gladia wanted to ask who it was, but the loving smile that brightened up Daneel's face rendered the question unnecessary. She stood up and approached the corridor leading to the Eastern wing, but before she went away she turner around to utter a short, timid:

  
"Thank you"

"May make a request?"

  
Gladia stopped.

  
"Given what you have told me it could turn out difficult but I think it would be advisable that you made amends with Elijah as well; that you somehow explained what happened. I would hate to see him confused and I am convinced it will make you feel better as well."

  
"Oh, I will..." The woman forced a small, shy smile.

### Chapter 20

 

 

 

Baley tried to stop his emotions from blurring his mind, but this task was getting increasingly difficult. All he knew was that he wanted to end this conversation. Was it because of embarrassment, guilt, resentment or simply impatience - he couldn't tell. Among all the sensations he couldn't see clearly there was only one that he identified with ease.

  
He was hungry.

  
After a day of hard work, getting drenched and frozen to the bone and a night of sex his body called for something stodgy and savory, while Gladia plied him with these ridiculous pachinkas. They were tasty, but they only whetted his appetite. The Earthman tried to figure out her reason to do so. Anyone would have known that pastry could never be a proper breakfast for a plainclothesman at work. He wondered if Gladia deliberately tried to show her disregard for him or if she was really that inconsiderate.

  
As she spoke, his compassion for her and guilt he felt after the events of previous evening and night were giving place to dislike. He even regretted his politeness that made him say things his host wanted to hear. At first, when he was convinced it was him who abused Gladia Baley tried to make it up to her, but just a few minutes of listening to her careless twitter and observing her pushy, tasteless courtship sufficed to make him understand it was the other way round.

  
"Please, Elijah, I must explain something to you. I don't think you understand what happened last night. Will you be all the more embarrassed if I do?"

  
"I'll probably be embarrassed, but explain it anyway." Baley sighed, perfectly aware that Gladia would proceed regardless of his consent.

  
The lady of the house started to speak with no sign that she got Elijah's sarcasm. There was one moment when she sounded like she had really understood something, nonetheless what followed was her usual ode to herself.

  
The man rubbed his right thumb and index finger together. Despite using the hand cleanser some of pachinka filling got stuck in a few cuts - effects of weltering in the bush the previous evening. This greasy substance annoyed him beyond measure. He kept trying to get rid of it, to get it out of his skin and this simple task occupied his attention much more than Gladia's story.

  
" -You see how important, therefore, last night was." Gladia finished with an expression indicating that she expected at lest applause.

  
Elijah rose his eyebrows. Gladia crossed the line to which her behavior could affect his emotions. It was simply quaint, just like all the peculiarities of Spacer words he grew to accept without judging them. Now he was just curious. He was facing another mystery.

  
"But why me, Gladia? Why not someone else?"

  
Baley wanted to check if the woman could speak about anyone but herself. Gladia managed to produce one sentence about her interlocutor before she went back to repeating 'I, me, mine, to me'. It culminated in the most unreasonable request she could have made:

  
"Elijah, stay with me."

  
The Earthman gave Gladia a sharp glance; he took his time to answer. Baley didn't even feel the need to haggle. He could ass well be polite.

  
"Elijah, what if I can come to Earth?"

  
"Why do you say such a foolish thing?"

  
Unexpectedly the conversation followed a scheme Elijah was a bit too familiar with. A woman insisting on staying together after a night spent together. Baley's civil, but emphatic refusal. A streak of guilt appeared in his mind again. It intensified when the man noticed that Gladia's eyes went misty.

  
 "Oh, Elijah, do you remember anything at all of what happened last night?" She wailed.  "If you remembered, you would not want to leave me. I lay nestled on your shoulder and felt your heart beat rapidly at first, then more and more slowly, except when you sat up so suddenly. Do you remember that?"

  
Baley drew breath sharply.

  
"No, I don't remember that. What do you mean? What did I do?"

  
"I told you. You sat up suddenly."

  
"Yes, but what else?"

  
Elijah focused on the case at once. All that mattered was that Gladia held the solution and was too slow-witted to realize it. This simple fact that made the woman's behavior perfectly comprehensible occurred to him in a blinding flash. Gladia really was stupid. Every feeling he could have had for her - resentment, guilt or dislike - vanished like a flame of a blown off candle.

  
"Listen to me, Gladia. What did I say? 'I have it. I have it.' Did I say what it was I had?"

  
"No. I don't remember- Wait, you did say one thing in a very low voice. You said, 'He was there first."

  
"He was there first.' That's what I said?"

  
The plainclothesman felt an unbearable urge to find a quiet place to think. He barely paid attention to what he was saying to Gladia. The major part of his mind was occupied with checking this one last piece of puzzle against everything he had managed to remember and figure out.

  
Later when he was walking back to Fastolfe's mansion Baley reflexively rubbed his thumb and index finger together again, but this time it felt different. He stopped for a moment to examine his palms by daylight. Annoying sweet goo was gone.

  
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

  
Daneel found Dr. Fastolfe still sitting in the dining room and staring at his own emptied plate. Home robots had already removed Baley's set. The man seemed weary and a bit subdued, which surprised the humaniform who expected joy and triumph after Fastolfe was cleared of charges and his greatest political and scientifical opponent was defeated. He decided not to reflect on that matter, though. He merely accepted this fact as an unfortunate factor that could jeopardize his plan.

  
"Dr. Fastolfe, do you want me to make arrangements for partner Elijah's transport to Earth?"

  
The scientist shook off and looked at the humaniform a bit distractedly.

  
"Oh, it's you... Yes, do so." he mumbled and waved his hand, gesturing the humaniform to leave.

  
"What am I required to do afterwards?"

  
Fastolfe met Daneel's gaze and frowned, noticeably surprised that the robot was still there.

  
"Drive back here and be at my service of course."

  
Daneel had expected a similar answer and thought every factor through, yet he was a bit inhibited. His reasoning that let him come to his conclusion barely sufficed to overcome the potential of Fastolfe's order.  
He weighed his words carefully. Semantics was the key. He knew he had to trick Fastolfe into asking questions and not let him reinforce his order.

  
"I believe it would be advisable that I accompany partner Elijah on his journey back to Earth."

  
Fastolfe straightened up and shoved his plate aside. A home robot took it away immediately.

  
"Advisable? Why?"

  
Olivaw crossed his hands behind his back and swayed slightly back and forth.

  
"The flight takes six days. I assume partner Elijah will be confined to his cabin and he will most probably be bored and distressed. Considering that he has solved the case and saved your career, providing him with enjoyable company is a favor he deserves."

The scientist started to snicker.

  
"So you want to be his prize?"

  
"On my part I can say that I experience intense pleasure in his presence."

  
"You've spent eight days with him. Is that not enough?"

  
"There was little time for enjoying his company. Each of us had his assigned tasks ." Daneel answered, stressing the word 'each' slightly.

  
Olivaw's response wiped the grin out of Fastolfe's face. He stood up and faced the robot with his arms crossed on his chest. The humaniform felt slight inquietude. For reasons he couldn't recognize the fact that he was markedly taller than the scientist mitigated this inquietude a bit.

  
"You will be needed here. Why would I go with your request?"

  
This rebuke leveled the advantage of the potential to act over Fastolfe's inhibiting order.  For a moment they were balanced. The problem was that Daneel's decision to ask for permission to fly to Earth was reinforced by his conviction that Elijah would be upset and harmed if they had to part immediately. This conviction, however, was based on Baley's behavior Daneel did not fully comprehend and thus he could misinterpret it. On the one hand there was Fastolfe's explicit order. On the other there was an uncertain indication.

  
There was another factor. Usually it was insignificant, but in case of a conflict between two major potentials that were in equilibrium it was enough to tip the scales.

  
"Because I am asking it of you and because it is very important for me that you agree."

  
At first Fastolfe flinched at Daneel's words, but he soon calmed down and rubbed his chin.

  
"Well, perhaps I owe you a little favor as well."   

  
"You said this." Daneel answered calmly. He achieved exactly what he intended to. This idea replicated in Fastolfe's mind could have much greater impact than if Daneel demanded reward directly.

  
The scientist rose his eyebrows and eyed the humaniform with disbelief and a streak of admiration.

  
"You are incredible. Well, all right. Escort this Earthman of yours. You will have a lot of explaining to do when you come back." he said, shaking his head and snickering.

  
Daneel turned around and left the dining room; as he walked he had this strange sensation of distorted equilibrium and diminished gravity again.

  
This time he had no doubt what it meant.     

### Chapter 21

 

 

 

"But what do I do with Santirix Gremionis, this good-looking young lackey whose job it was to lure me away? No wonder he appeared to cling to hope despite my repeated refusal. Well, he'll come here again and I will have the pleasure of-"

  
"Gladia, no. I have interviewed him and I assure you he had no knowledge of what was going on. He was as much deceived as you were. In fact, you have it reversed. He was not persistent because it was important to lure you away. He was useful to Amadiro because he was so persistent and that persistence was out of regard for you."

  
Gladia felt frustration boiling in her veins. She was angry with the chairman for not letting Elijah stay on Aurora longer, with Amadiro for what he did to Jander but mostly she was annoyed at Baley. The Earthman stood near her, yet somehow he was distant like never before. The woman tried to draw his attention, but there must have been something in the clear blue sky or vast green lea outside the window that engaged the man completely. He was being nice, perhaps even amiable in a detached, polite manner and kept staring into the Open. Elijah was lost to her, and with him the secret Gladia wanted to understand.

  
"Out of love, if the word means on Aurora what it means on Earth." Baley finished and finally looked Gladia in the eyes.

  
She crossed her arms and lowered her gaze.

  
"On Aurora, it is choreography. Jander was a robot and you are an Earthman. It is different with the Aurorans."

  
"So you have explained." Elijah answered blankly.

  
She heard Baley's deep sigh. She felt it burn her skin. The man remained silent for disturbingly long. When she finally dared to look at him he was staring into the Open and rubbing his lower lip pensively.

  
'"Look, Gladia," he finally spoke; his voice was more resonant than before and tinted with emotion "this young man has already proven the unprecedented power of his affection for you. Gremionis is sufficiently attracted to you to defy Auroran convention by persisting in the face of your refusal. There must be a good reason for doing so, especially fore someone of his station. Perhaps if you find out what it is, your life will become less tormenting."

  
The woman felt a blush creeping into her face, but she couldn't tell if it was caused by anger or embarrassment. Her palms were ice-cold, her stomach was cramped and felt like a lump of iron.

  
"Why are you telling me this? Are you trying to get rid of me?"

  
"Yes, Gladia, I am, but I can also see that you need help.  I believe in turning evil into good and it requires that I clarify certain matters, give you some advice.  That's all I can and all I want to do for you."

  
Gladia felt trapped.

  
"Go on then, tell me what you have to tell me and begone!" She exclaimed with a flounce.

  
Baley clenched his jaws and closed his eyes for a moment before he spoke, noticeably trying to tame his irritation.

  
"As I was saying, you need to focus on what Gremionis did for you and why. In a way he has made a fool of himself and for someone so self-centered as him it is a major sacrifice. Why would he be so insistent if not because of someone exceptional for him? Out of so many Auroran women he chose you, treated you like no other man on this planet has ever treated a woman. Is it not what you want?"

  
Gladia's anger was slowly melting. Baley's words sunk in even against her will, touching the most vulnerable sores of her soul.

  
"I heard that love is something one has to earn..." She said dejectedly.

  
"Exactly. You were speaking about giving and taking. I cannot tell what you did to earn Gremionis' affection, but you must have given him something really precious and unique; something that made him trespass Auroran custom and risk his reputation."  
Baley froze up like he just remembered something important. He frowned and darted at his host.

  
"Who told you that?"    

  
Gladia vented the last of her anger in a sneering hiss:

  
"Your tin friend of course."

  
Elijah's eyes widened briefly and soon his expression was softened by a distant smile. A wistful look came over Gladia's face.

  
"You are really stuck on that humaniform. What is so special about him? What does he have that I lack?"

  
The man opened his mouth and drew breath to speak, but said nothing. He just shook his head smiling to his own thoughts, then struck his thighs with flat palms and said crisply:

  
"Gladia, I need to go now. I hope you will at least rethink what I have told you. Accept Gremionis and make him happy, and let him make you happy as well. There is nothing more I can do for you."

  
"Will you send me letters?" She asked hastily in a desperate attempt to keep Baley for longer.

  
The Earthman tilted his head, reflecting on the answer.

  
"I will, Gladia. And you will write to me as well?"

  
"I will, Elijah."

  
He went to the door while she was standing in the middle of the room, dizzy and disoriented. The man turned back, opened his mouth to speak and again he resigned. Gladia sensed an unvoiced question. She knew her voice would be jerky and strangled if she tried to speak, but her lips formed the answer:

  
"I will."

  
Elijah gave her a small nod and went out. Gladia watched him walk down the paved walkway with his head up and his back straightened youthfully, taking long, energetic strides.

  
Sudden pain gripped her throat almost suffocating her, her eyes started to burn, her hands started to shake. She sank to her knees, curled up and burried her face in her hands.   

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

  
  
As soon as Giskard came back after driving Baley to the spaceport he started looking for Dr. Fastolfe. He was convinced that in such a difficult moment the scientist would need some assistance.

  
Indeed, the robot found his master in the workroom, surrounded by countless plexifoil sheets covered in black scribbles he wrote for himself and metallic networks of commands meant to be read by computers. Two glistening, meshy spheres floated in the air next to a rough framework of a third. Fastolfe stood in one of the finished spheres - the one that represented Jander's brain - and peered into the faintly glowing embryo of the new design.

  
He ignored Reventlov's presence completely. The robot read that he was in the state of mind when the first impulse fades and a man starts to discern problems and wonder if his undertaking makes any sense.

  
Of course Fastolfe had abandoned the idea of building hordes of humaniform robots long ago, but if he wanted to study the development of mind he had to observe at least two individuals and compare them. Now that Jander had been decommissioned a need to build a new humaniform and manage his development more carefully arose. Nonetheless Reventlov could tell that Fastolfe was not at all convinced if he could handle the task.

  
There were many technical problems. Each positonic brain was unique and its final form depended on subatomic forces that the designer could control indirectly. In a way designing a robot resembled placing magnets underneath a plexifoil sheet and sprinkling it with filings. One could control the pattern, but not the arrangement of individual specks of iron.   

  
Fastolfe was aware of that, but that was not what troubled him at the moment. He was a trouper; he knew that every technical problem could be overcome with a bit of genius and a lot of determination. Determination, however, was what he lacked.

  
Giskard decided he couldn't let the chance slip. He gently reinforced his master's doubt and regret and even this little stub of guilt he was able to locate in Fastolfe's mind. The man cast his mind back over his daughter, the way he had lost control and hurt her by allowing her to develop a desire that was impossible to quench. Somehow memories of Daneel followed naturally, but the First Law forced Giskard to try to mitigate a barely perceptible pang of sorrow induced by Daneel's absence. Except that all he did was to channel this demur and help it trigger a decision.

  
The scientist shook his head slowly, turned the magnecube reader off , extracted two cubes to place them carefully in their cases and ran the third through a neodymium magneraser. Only after doing all of this he seemed to notice Giskard's presence.

  
"Dr. Fastolfe, I came to ask what you would like to have for dinner." Reventlov asked formally.

  
An expression of daze flashed through Fastolfe's face, but in no time he recovered his balance.

  
"Let me think... Roast beef could do. And some good wine. Make sure the home robots understand that today I will dine with my wife. We will celebrate."

  
There was nothing more to do there for the robot. When he was  leaving Fastolfe was at ease and had this peculiar wistful feeling that he had done the right thing. Giskard was satisfied as well.

  
No more tampering with life. No more humaniforms.  

 

### Chapter 22

 

 

 

  
Over. Finally over.

  
Baley could hardly believe it. He stood in the shower leaning against its cold wall. Before boarding the ship he had undergone basic decontamination procedure, but he needed the ease and soft hum of the shower; he needed the water to wash away his weariness and anxiety.

  
Now that it was all over he was beginning to comprehend graveness of the consequences he would have to meet if he failed to solve Jander's case. There was yet another thing that left him a bit uneasy and a bit embarrassed.

  
The previous morning seemed distant like it happened years before. It was when it began. It was when he decided to take a step and in fact never took it. So much happened afterwards. He was caught in a vortex of shocking events that followed one another so quickly that he almost forgot there was an unspoken question lingering between Daneel and him all the time. Now it was the time to answer it.

  
The Earthman dressed up quickly and took a deep breath before he exited the private.

  
He saw Olivaw standing next to a wall, but not leaning against it - a poise that disturbingly reminded Baley of Auroran customary way of dealing with robots. Daneel was not awaiting orders, however. He did not observe the surroundings with complaisant attentiveness of a servant. His face expressed focus; he was visibly immersed in careful introspection.

  
"Something wrong?" Baley asked, not really knowing how to begin.  

  
Olivaw answered quietly after short hesitation.

  
"I noticed no value that would exceed acceptable variability threshold. In other words I am all right."

  
The Earthman frowned. Monotony of the robot's intonation was alarming.  He looked around with a sigh, bit his lip and took Daneel's upper arm to maneuver him towards the cot, then he flumped onto it and patted the mattress next to him.

  
"Come, sit down. You look like we need to talk."

  
The robot obeyed. He sat down with his usual grace, but that was the limit of his humanity. This particular posture of 'we need to talk' - hunched, with legs slightly spread and  elbows resting on knees - was unknown to him. Olivaw sat stiff with his back straightened and his forearms neatly aligned with his thighs. The Earthman rolled his eyes, but this expression was softened by a warm smile. He was getting used to these  sudden displays of Daneel's robotic nature and to treating them with tenderness.  
"I can see something is wrong. Go on, tell me." Baley bit his tongue and congratulated himself for not saying 'go on, spill your guts'.

  
Daneel blinked two times in a row. It was something the humaniform scarcely did and even though he was no specialist Elijah could guess it was a result of a glitch. Baley felt he was getting more and more worried. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

  
"All right, have it your way. I'll speak."

  
The man hunched , pressed the base of his nose with his index fingers and let out a heavy, somewhat jerky sigh. There was so much he wanted to say, but none of the elaborate openings to a speech his mind kept prompting fit the situation. Finally a simple thought appeared. It was uncalled for, but before he was able to think it through his lips formed words, his breath carried the sound. His will failed to stop him.

  
"I slept with Gladia."  

  
In the dimly lit, silent cabin his words were like a pebble thrown into a pond that ripples its surface. It happened against him, but Baley felt oddly appeased when he finally got it off his chest.

  
"I know." To his surprise Daneel answered composedly and before Elijah was able to gather his thoughts, Olivaw added: "She told me. She said you were unwilling."

  
Baley snorted.

  
"That's what she told you?"

  
A grave nod was the only  answer.

  
"Jehoshaphat, I wish it was true."

  
Elijah observed Daneel's eyes, hoping for any reaction but there was none. He exhaled with exasperation and hid his face in his palms.

  
"You were right. I am no good." There was a strange mixture of dejection and and embarrassment in his voice.

  
The man rubbed his forehead angrily and run his palms down his face. He did not exactly feel like crying, but there was a feeling of weakness and failure that he wanted to wipe away from his temples, eyes and cheeks. Daneel's impassivity made him feel even more helpless.

  
"How can I lead a new wave of space colonization if I can't even mind my own business?" He snarled. At first he intended to end this sentence with a much more vulgar word, but he checked himself just to prove that he did not sink so low as to boost his self-confidence with obscenities.

  
He flinched when he felt Daneel's light grip on his elbow; the robot pulled Elijah's arm gently to make the man face him.

  
"On the contrary, partner Elijah. I believe you handle your humanity quite well."

  
"Handle my humanity?" The Earthman frowned. Despite his torment he was curious.

  
"Yes. The more I learn about how complex and difficult human decision-making process is, the more I appreciate those who are not entirely lost."

  
"But I am lost." Baley stated bleakly.

  
Daneel said nothing; he slowly reached out and skimmed Elijah's jaw and neck with the back of his palm. This gentle caress, though chaste and simple, was improperly pleasant. Baley felt trapped. He shook off and stood up. Suddenly the cramped conditions of his metal dwelling started to bother him. Once again he felt this unbearable urge to get out, take a breath of fresh air that would be neither comfortably moist nor warm; that would have a scent, that would tickle his nostrils and burn his  throat; that would make him aware he was actually breathing. To look up not knowing what he would see - starry night, blue sky or storm clouds. He struck the wall in a tug of helplessness and then pillowed his forehead on his fist still pressed against the chilly surface.

"I did it," again his lips spoke against his will "because she wasn't you. Gladia was right saying I did not want her; I just wanted anyone who wasn't you."

  
"Why?"

  
Elijah winced and swallowed a curse.  Too late did he realize what his words could mean.

  
"Look, I needed a stimulus, distraction to get you off my mind. I tried to fight it off, but I failed. I admit it. I failed."

  
Only when this truth had been voiced Baley found the courage to face his partner and look him in the face. What he saw evoked a pang of guilt. The humaniform became almost perfectly still; his lips were the only part of his body that moved when he spoke with the same melodious cadence Baley had heard only once before:

  
"Forgive me, partner Elijah, for putting you in a disagreeable situation. This problem is beyond my capability. I thought I would be able to come to a solution without asking any perplexing questions, but I am not. Please, tell me what you want me to do. I cannot figure it out on my own. I told you that I had been experiencing much distress concerning your attitude towards me. I was convinced that even if you had any particular feeling you were reluctant to admit it. Then, while you were questioning Vasilia Aliena you said that you loved me. Since it is an unwanted..."

  
"No!" Baley forced a husky exclamation through his cramped throat. "No, " he repeated softer "I did not say that. I said we were bound by love. I don't deny it. I know you have a deep affection for me, I have experienced it and on my part I can say that I love you. I want you, but first and foremost I love you and respect you. That is exactly why I must not seek gratification. I mustn't demean you like this. I know there is no way you could want me."

  
"You are only partially right."

  
This response, given immediately, knocked Baley off balance. He had expected nearly anything but this. For a moment the thought that he would have to reason with a robot about a matter so intimate that he barely found courage to voice it made his stomach cramp. Baley felt a sting of pique, but before it had time to boil over into anger the humaniform stood up, approached his partner slowly and put his hand on the man's shoulder. Elijah placed his own palm on Daneel's and slanted forward a bit to feel the warmth Daneel's body. Olivaw responded by wrapping his arms tight around Elijah's shoulders. This touch was so different from subtle caresses that aroused him so much; it was firm, manly and fraternal. To his surprise he realized he felt comfortable; almost entirely enclosed by Daneel's steady embrace, by his unwavering support. A small part of his mind wondered how Olivaw knew this gesture would feel so right.

  
"What do you mean?" He asked after a while.

  
"You are right in your claim that physical desire is unavailable for me. You apparently haven't thought about the pleasure satisfying you may bring me."

  
"Under the Second Law?" Baley said with spite.

  
Daneel answered evenly like it was an obvious truth:

  
"No. It refers to executing orders after they are given, while I actively want to please you and I experience this urge only towards you. Moreover, positonic states activated by the Second Law vary depending on the nature of the order, but they can never be close to what I know I would experience if you were to find gratification in my arms, caused by my actions".

  
Elijah disentangled himself from Olivaw's embrace and gently, but decidedly pushed him away.

  
"You said Jander must have been happy to fulfill Gladia's wishes even though you did not reflect on his attitude towards her. Is it not the same?"

  
"We discussed this matter in respect to your investigation, so I did not find it necessary to elaborate. You see, Jander and I were not entirely identical, though very alike in the moment of start-up. Each of us was altered by his own experience. What is true about him is therefore not necessarily true about me," Daneel said and when the Earthman kept looking at him askance he added quietly: "It is difficult for me to verbalize it, but believe me, I know the difference."

  
"H...how?"

  
To Baley's horror Daneel gave the only answer that made things obvious:

  
"I have been ordered not to reveal any details."

  
Elijah's eyes widened in a daze; thoughts started to swarm in his head. He walked the length of the cabin on wobbly legs and run his fingers through his hair. There was only one person that could have gotten such an idea and that was improfessional enough to leave a loophole in the order.

  
Gladia.

### Chapter 23

 

 

 

  
  
He was at a loss for words.  Anger made him grit his teeth to stifle a groan.

  
"Partner Elijah, I didn't expect my words could upset you that much. How can I..."

  
"No! Jehoshaphat, no!"  This hesitant apology maddened Baley. "Don't apologize. It is them who should be blamed. Who do they think they are?"

  
He leaned against a wall and slumped slowly to sit on the floor. He heard his own pulse - unbearable rumbling in his temples - and his own loud, jerky breath. In a flash he comprehended the misery of Daneel's life: the life of a sentient, vulnerable being tethered by irresistible impulses imprinted in its brain. Roboticists could rename his feelings to 'motivational stimuli', 'positonic states' or 'positonic flux', but it did not change their essence. The Earthman felt growing loathing for Sarton and Fastolfe: two self-righteous demigods who had the nerve to create a being in their own image and likeness, then failed to take responsibility for their creation.

  
It took Elijah some time to come down enough to be aware of his surroundings. He noticed that Daneel was looking at him attentively, but when they gazes met the humaniform lowered his head and sat down on the edge of the cot. There was something so inescapably humane and soul-stirring in this simple gesture that Baley could not contain himself. The man shifted to his knees, gripped Daneel's hands and kissed each of them shyly; his eyes were closed, but a few unshed tears glistened on his dark eyelashes.

  
"I'm sorry." He managed to whisper.

  
"There is no reason for you to be sorry. You couldn't have prevented this in any way."

  
Baley's shoulders tensed up. He was overwhelmed by helplessness and dejection.

  
"But I should have. If nobody else cares I should be the one to protect you."

  
Prompted by Olivaw's gentle pull to his arms Elijah scrambled on the cot to seat next to his partner again, but was unable to face him or touch him. He sat hunched with his fingers laced on the back of his neck. The humaniform spoke on with his hand resting lightly between Elijah's shoulderblades. The man was anguished by the awareness that even now, even in such a moment it was Daneel who comforted him and not the other way round, but he couldn't bring himself to move.

  
"Partner Elijah, please understand that it is a thing of the past."

  
A stifled grunt was the only answer.   

  
"There is nothing you would have to protect me from. I will be all right."

  
"Daneel..."  

  
"Partially thanks to what you have shown me I think I will be able to fend for myself to certain extent."

  
Baley finally dared to look Daneel in the eyes. Their tranquil gaze was soothing and expressed equanimity. Elijah caught himself not knowing if he commiserated Daneel or admired him. At the same time the Spacer seemed defenseless and superhuman; vulnerable and invincible. Unearthly.  

      
"What do you mean?" He asked after a while.

  
"You have shown me how important self-respect is for humans and that respect for others is its essential component. You drew my attention to the fact that those who wrong others often unknowingly harm themselves. This awareness gave me the ability to defend myself against such harm."

  
This time it was the Earthman who was puzzled.  

  
"I never said anything like this."

  
"You put it into practice. Do you remember when we first met? Even though you hated me with great intensity you treated me straight and with respect. It was obvious that the reason for this was not in my behavior but in your convictions."  
Harking back to their early days helped the man calm down a bit. Though he was still despondent a nervous half-smile crooked his lips.

  
"Respect? I gave you a wigging within an hour."  

  
"You treated me as equal. Arguments are a hallmark of partnership."

  
The Earthman chewed Olivaw's words over and nodded pensively. He remembered his  hatred to Daneel that was tinted with envy and a bit of awe. He also remembered his shame and self-loathing when the robot exposed Baley's greatest weakness with pinpoint accuracy and with his usual innocent, awkward frankness. 

   
"After all you scolded me as well. The only difference is that you were right."

  
Daneel tilted his head and kept silence for a while, then glanced at Baley briefly.

  
"Do you remember the man who slapped me on the face?"

  
Elijah snickered uneasily.

  
"Of course I do. I wanted to do it myself many times. I hated you like sin back then."

  
"But you didn't."

  
"What would be the use of it? I would only be a proof of powerlessness and immaturity."

  
"Exactly. I later said that this man could have hurt himself. Back then I meant only the fact that hitting my metal skeleton with full force would injure his hand, but later I grew to understand more of this situation. I remembered that after a short period of satisfaction the man felt worse."

  
Baley's long face darkened again. He winced at a shameful memory.

  
"I did eventually hit you and you are right. I did it because I resented myself, not you," he said with dejection. In reply Daneel gave him his little grave smile.

  
"You see now how much you have taught me. It was a most fortunate coincidence that commissioner Enderby chose you for that job. Everyone benefited from meeting you in his own way."

  
Elijah rose his eyebrows and gave Olivaw a sharp glance. Daneel cast his eyes down. The Spacer seemed a bit abashed, but tried to speak on. He was silenced when Baley's thumb touched his lips.

  
"It's all right. I understand." The man said softly and skimmed Daneel's temple with the back of his palm, ran his fingers along  the humaniform's hair and ear. For a moment he wondered was going on in this beautiful head, marveled at what Daneel had become.

  
"You are an amazing man," he whispered with a bittersweet smile.  

  
"I am not even a man."

  
"Then let's just agree that you are amazing."

  
Olivaw lifted his gaze and moved his head to press a delicate kiss on the inside of Elijah's palm with his perfect blue eyes still fixed on Baley's. Elijah felt dizzy, his whole world swirled; he felt this piercing chill in his guts as if he was falling. He slid his hand down Daneel's neck and cupped his jaw with the other, pulled him closer tentatively and then stopped, overawed, abashed, shivering with emotion.

  
It was Daneel who covered these last millimeters that separated them.

  
The man was in rapture over how the silky softness of Daneels lips contrasted with the glassy smoothness of the inside of his mouth. This simple carnal pleasure was a spark that set fire to desire he had been trying to tame for too long. In an instant this timid touch transformed into a feverish, wild kiss. The Spacer laced his fingers into the man's hair, caressed his neck and ears. His touch was somewhat rough, but the man liked it that way. Without resistance Daneel accepted Elijah's tongue in his mouth, sucked it and stroked with the hard, rough tip of his own tongue. To his delight Baley noticed that the air the humaniform exhaled was warm, just like his body Baley felt close to his own.

  
The man ran his fingers frantically down the seam on Olivaw's shirt and somehow managed to unfasten it. He yanked the clothes off his partner and proceeded to undress himself, feeling Daneel's hands stroking and scratching his back. After a short scrabble this last barrier was gone; they rolled on the bed naked. Elijah drew back to admire Daneel's body and catch a breath, but he couldn't remain calm for long. Daneel's neck was so painfully well-formed, his jawbone was so perfectly shaped... Elijah started to kiss and suck Daneel's skin with mad ardor, tracing the shape of his chest, firm abdomen and slender hips with his hungry palms. The humaniform gave in easily when Elijah slipped one hand underneath his thigh; he readjusted his position to Baley and pulled him closer.

  
The man took one timid look at Olivaw's face. For an instant he remembered this frustrating indifference from his dream, but one glance was enough to reassure him. Daneel's lips were parted a little, just enough to show a glimpse of his upper teeth; his eyebrows arched slightly, his gaze traced Elijah's face with loving attention. All these features were barely noticeable, but Baley was sure they were not a product of his imagination; all he needed was a slight nod.

  
He slipped two fingers into his mouth to wet them, faintly surprised by the fact that this weird gesture didn't embarrass him. Everything seemed natural and good. The silky, warm smoothness of Daneel's inside was enough to bring him to the verge of madness. When the same silky flesh enveloped his manhood he couldn't help moaning. With the last of his consciousness he tried to stop himself from biting into Daneel's shoulder or neck that were tantalizingly close.

  
Indeed it would be impossible to verbalize it, but Baley felt the difference with every fiber of his body and was sure Daneel felt it as well. Everything about the way Daneel held him and looked at him, about the way he quivered slightly accepting Elijah inside him and the way his lips voicelessly formed Baley's name without the formal 'partner' dispelled Baley's doubt. Impossible as it might seem, they were really making love.  

  
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

  
Finally all the forces driving him were in accordance. There was no unsolved equation left. Everything was in order. All the processes in his brain were neatened and encountered no obstacles.  

  
Elijah trembled with desire in his arms; a wave of tremor rolled through the man's body with every sway of their hips. Elijah's hard manhood deep inside him made him feel helpless, but he was at peace.

  
He realized some parts of his brain were going idle one by one. Strangely, it did not bother him. On the contrary - this wave of helplessness was alleviating. With the lasts of his consciousness he focused on reading Baley's pleasure, imbibing it with his every sense. He heard Baley's sharp moans, felt the man's quickened breath on his neck and chest and quaking of his body with his fingers that caressed Elijah's back, neck and ears. Baley brought his lips close to Daneel's, the Spacer reached out to accept the kiss and when the tip of his tongue skimmed the back of Elijah's teeth the man shuddered, sunk into Daneel's mouth to stifle his own cry and fell onto Daneel's chest, covered in sweat, panting heavily, so obviously and intensely happy that awareness of this fact engaged all Daneel's remaining computing power.

  
The humaniform closed his eyes. He could no longer strive to stay focused. Slowly he gave in to this wave of soft, soothing weakness.

  
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

  
When his lust ebbed a grain of uncertainty started to bother him again. He lay in Daneel's arms, felt warmth of Spacer's body underneath his own. Almost everything was just like a second before, but Baley was feeling more and more uneasy.

  
Finally he became conscious enough to figure out what was bothering him; for a second he was puzzled, but he quickly understood. It was one reaction that Olivaw could not think Baley would expect, so he certainly did not pretend. A wide beam of pure joy appeared on the man's face.

  
Due to Daneel's stillness these moment seemed timeless. Elijah observed his lover's face carefully, admiring the evenness of his eyebrows and symmetry of his nose; gave a little peck to each of his eyes and nostrils; played with Daneel's earlobes and skimmed Daneel's cheeks and jawbone with the tip of his nose, inhaling this bizarre scent of blaster holsters he'd grown to like so much.

  
"Daneel..." He whispered and waited patiently until the Spacer lifted his heavy eyelids.

  
"Yes?"

  
"You forgot to breathe..."

### Chapter 24

 

 

 

  
Elijah's steady breath resounded in the silence. Though the man was immobile and hadn't spoken for a solid hour, Olivaw knew his partner wasn't asleep. He could easily believe that in this situation no one would be able to sleep. They were already in the vicinity of Earth, decelerating slowly. The landing was scheduled in 20 hours.

  
They lay embraced, Baley's head nestled on Daneel's shoulder. In the dim russet glow that permeated the cabin he could see Baley's dark, a bit tangled hair and his arms; that was not enough. He shifted aside a bit; Baley moved his head onto Daneel's forearm and glanced at him with a faint, questioning smile. The humaniform clarified:

  
"I want to look at you."  

  
"Why?"

  
"I want to collect as many memories of you as I can."

  
He moved away a bit and skimmed Baley's forehead and cheeks.

  
"You don't forget, do you?" Elijah asked, placing his own hand on top of Daneel's.

  
"I don't. I remember every word you said and every moment spent with you, but it is not enough. I will never have enough memories of you."

  
The man closed his eyes; his lips arched slightly in an expression that could have been a smile, but Daneel sensed that Elijah was distraught. Even though Olivaw tried he couldn't palliate this sorrow. Even his kisses and caressing Elijah's body brought the man only slight relief.

  
This awareness tormented the humaniform, but it was not an effect of the First Law. To see a human suffering when there was nothing he could do to prevent it was an unexceptional experience. To see Elijah suffering and to know that in twenty hours they would most probably part forever was something Daneel could hardly take.

  
He focused on observing his lover's face, on remembering the shade of Elijah's skin, on etching every crease and hair in his memory. He wanted to remember everything. The sound of Baley's voice and breath, the shape of his eyebrows, the sheaves of delicate shallow wrinkles in the corners of his eyes, every crack of his rough lips, stiffness of his dark hair, the way two deep furrows appeared on his cheeks near the corners of his mouth when he was smiling. Even though he knew Baley's body so well he would be able to recreate his image down to the finest detail he still felt it was not enough.

  
"Come here," Baley whispered softly and slid his fingers up the back of Daneel's neck. The humaniform felt a wave of spinny, but pleasant tickling that resembled mild scintillation. It was something they had discovered together quite by chance. Olivaw's main input that allowed for direct data feeding and external reprogramming was a part of his body that the humaniform reflexively tried to guard, but Elijah's touch near it gave Daneel a variety of most delightful sensations.

  
Daneel closed his eyes. This titillating pleasure was another experience he wanted to preserve in his memory. As if he was aware of that, Elijah skimmed Daneel's nape and dabbed it gingerly with enthrallment. Without breaking this caress Baley turned to his side and gently gestured Daneel to do the same. Baley's tongue and lips replaced his cool fingers; the man ran his hands down Daneel's side, hip and thigh. The humaniform knew what would follow and accepted it eagerly. Elijah's hot breath moving his hair, Elijah's rough lips fondling his neck, Elijah's warm chest next to his shoulders, Elijah's sweat smeared on his skin, unhurried rocking of their hips, Elijah's fingers digging into his arms or thighs, the man's bliss Daneel could sense so vividly... These were also sensations he wanted to remember well.  

      
  
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''  
  
Baley stood in the spaceport arrival lounge dazed and a bit perplexed. He took a look around, not sure what he was looking for. it was Bentley who spotted him first, ran up to him and greeted him with a casual pat on the shoulder.  
"Good to have you back, Dad. Come on, let's go home."

  
Elijah eyed his son - a brisk, joyful youth - wonderingly and it took him some time to realize that what astonished him was the fact that Bentley hadn't changed. Of course, how could he? Baley was absent only for a little more than a fortnight, but it felt like centuries.

  
"Thank you. And good to see you too. Let's go home." He answered absently.

  
As they were walking to the car parked near the spaceport Elijah reflexively looked up to see the white, slender silhouette of the spaceship against the sky and saw nothing but the gray, unnatural canopy. The dome. His stomach cramped in a basic reflex of fear and revulsion. He felt like an animal being forced back into its cage after a brief experience of freedom. He felt sick.

  
Bentley must have spotted his discomfort, for he handed Baley his pipe and and tobacco. Elijah thanked him with a slight nod, but he didn't feel like smoking.

  
"Is... Will your mother be home when we get back?" The man asked diffidently. Bentley rolled his eyes.

  
"Dad, it's almost midnight. Of course she will be home. Sleeping probably."

  
Though they differed in construction and functioning, the interior of a car was almost identical with the interior of an airfoil and after getting in Baley caught himself expecting to feel the steady presence of robots - Giskards smooth, inflexible surface on the left and Daneel's warmth on the right. The bitter realization that he would never feel it again almost made him break down. He chocked back a sob and turned to the window, pretending to be too sleepy to talk. The teen didn't seem to mind; he focused on driving. Baley focused on not letting his heartache show. He could not fall apart. Not in full view of Ben. Not after bidding farewell to a Spacer, a robot. A being that he should despise just for what it was, but that he loved for who it was. He was sure nobody would understand; not even his son who was so close to him and so different from backward, insular Earthpeople.

  
After taking another look at the inhumanely smooth, dark surface above their heads he snapped out of it. His grief was slowly melting into crossness.

  
It couldn't end like this. He had broken free from his own fears and misconceptions, but he was still a prisoner of others' beliefs and animosities. He was free to think what he wanted, but he was not free to do as he pleased. That had to be the next step. He had to break free from external walls, to win the right to act against custom and fossilized political relations and among all the things he intended to do after winning this freedom - to see Daneel once more.  
  
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Five years later, in a ship orbiting Aurora he knew he had won, but it didn't make this parting any easier. This time he was certain it was their last goodbye. 

He thought he loved Jessie, but he had bid her farewell with a light heart, grateful for the life she spent with him and for Bentley, this wonderful gift she had given him. When he stood before his partner and opened his arms to hold Daneel one last time, his heart was pierced with pain so real that he was sure his chest would bleed. Elijah struggled not to burst into tears like a child; he hid his face in Daneel's wide chest and clung to him desperately. The true love of his life was there - warm, firm, and though surrounded by this faint scent of gloves and blaster holsters  as real as if he was of flesh and blood. Daneel's strong arms wrapped around him tight. For a moment Elijah feared - or hoped - that the taller man would never let go. He choked back a scream, letting his tears and his wail sink into Daneel's clothes. Their time was running out. Baley had to move on, set his foot on a new world, give a new beginning to his son and his people, give rise to a new race.    
  
He often wondered what he could teach them as their leader and that very moment when he  looked into Daneel's serene, wise eyes he knew. He would give his people no laws. He would give them a dream. He would teach them to challenge their limits; to break the shackles of their own weakness; to crumble the walls built by their own minds; to have the courage to question everything and not take their own nature for granted; to seek the truth and good with unfading, childish passion; to dream of the impossible and reach for it. He would teach them to be like Daneel.

  
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''  
Suddenly Daneel felt like he was loosing ability to think clear. He clasped his arms around Elijah, trying to focus the remaining shreds of his consciousness on not shaking. He heard his partner cry and felt him quake in agony. Every flicker of this dear body, every sob that escaped these dear lips filled Daneel's mind with unexplained ache.  

  
For a briefest moment First and Third law kicked in so hard that Daneel barely restrained the urge to just stay there, stay there forever with the man in his arms. Dry Elijah's tears, keep on holding him, stroking his shoulders, kissing his cheeks, caressing his neck forever. Or just for a brief moment more...

  
He did not. He slowly let go and with his brain clouded by this excruciating pain he observed Elijah wipe his tears with his wrists and snuffle like a baby. None of them said a word. None of them could.  
   
When Gladia and him landed on Aurora and Baley's ship left the orbit to spring towards his new world Daneel stared into the sky for hours. Suddenly he felt more aware of vastness of the Universe than ever. His own planet sailed slowly in the dark, cold void of Space. Dawns and sunsets passed as it turned its face towards a star that was just like myriads of other stars. There were dozens of planets just like his homeworld; there were billions of people swarming, thriving to live and among them, somewhere in the Universe flickered this spark that was soon to fade. His Elijah.

  
Daneel was the only being of his kind in the whole Universe. He had tens of thousands of years to live, but he was sure that despite the ache this memory elicited he would never chose forget the spark that gave light to his eyes. The first one to call him a man. The one to make him a man.

 


End file.
